Lee Dae-ho of the Seattle Mariners belted his first home run in the United States in preseason action on Monday.Lee hit a solo shot off Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Matt Reynolds in the bottom eighth of their Cactus League game in Peoria, Arizona.Lee replaced Adam Lind at first base to start the sixth inning and took Lind's fifth spot in the order. Then in his lone at bat, Lee took a 1-2 offering from Reynolds over the left field wall to cut the Mariners' deficit to 10-7.He turned a double p

South Korea missed out on Olympic women's football after a 1-0 loss to China in the Asian qualifying tournament on Monday.At Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, Wang Shanshan headed in the match's lone goal in the 42nd, as South Korea remained winless with two draws and two losses.Though there's one match remaining in the qualification, South Korea will not get one of two Asian spots for the women's football tournament at the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics in August. South Korea have never competed i

Korean Air Lines Co., South Korea's top flag carrier, decided to fire a pilot on Monday for rejecting the company flight order and hampering normal business operations to follow the work-to-rule campaign underway since the "yes" vote for a strike last month, company officials said.   The decision to dismiss the pilot, only identified by his surname, Park, was made earlier in the day by the company's qualification review committee, according to the officials. Park reportedly plans to appeal the d

South Korea missed out on Olympic women's football after a 1-0 loss to China in the Asian qualifying tournament on Monday.   At Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, Wang Shanshan headed in the match's lone goal in the 42nd, as China moved a step closer to qualifying for their fifth Olympics. South Korea remained winless with two draws and two losses.   Though there's one match remaining in the qualification, South Korea will not get one of two Asian spots for the women's football tournament at the Rio

Co-presidents were named for the integrated national sports body on Monday, another important step toward finalizing their merger later this month.Kim Jung-haeng, president of the Korean Olympic Committee, and Kang Young-joong, head of the Korea Council of Sport for All, were appointed as co-heads of the tentatively named Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. The decision was reached during the KSOC founders' meeting in Seoul.The KOC, which oversees the country's sports in general and elite athletes

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors may be the prohibitive favorite to win their third straight championship in the top South Korean football league, but their head coach Choi Kang-hee said Monday he'd rather see rival clubs get more of the spotlight.After a series of offseason moves that added depth to an already strong squad, Jeonbuk -- now dubbed "Real Jeonbuk" after Spanish giants Real Madrid -- seem poised for their third straight K League Classic title.Yet they're off to a rocky start at another major

South Korea may not play their last match of the second Asian qualifying round of the 2018 FIFA World Cup this month following their opponents' international suspension, the local football governing body said Monday. The Korean Football Association said that FIFA, the world's top football body, will give its decision by Thursday about whether or not the World Cup qualification match between South Korea and Kuwait should take place at Daegu World Cup Stadium on March 29 as originally scheduled.FI

Fresh off her second LPGA Tour win of the season, South Korean Jang Ha-na reached No. 5 in the latest world rankings released Monday.Jang is the second-highest Korean in the rankings after climbing five spots to reach the top five. Park In-bee remained at No. 2.Jang won the HSBC Women's Champions in Singapore on Sunday. It was her second victory of the season, and she is the first LPGA golfer to pick up multiple wins in 2016.There are four more South Koreans in the top 10: Amy Yang, Kim Sei-youn

South Korea will look to extend its dominance in short track speed skating when it hosts the sport's world championships this week.The International Skating Union World Short Track Speed Skating Championships will be held from Friday to Sunday at Mokdong Ice Rink in the nation's capital. South Korea is staging the competition for the third time.Choi Min-jeong, a 17-year-old sensation, is the defending women's overall champion and will try to become the first South Korean since Jin Sun-yu (2005-2

When a law giving the government full control of doping tests for all athletes passed the parliament last fall, it was with an attitude of grudging resignation that the professional federations accepted toughened protocols.The Sport Promotion Act came into effect on Nov. 19 on the heels of positive drug tests in pro baseball, football and volleyball. By that time, though, baseball, the nation's most popular sport, had already wrapped up its regular season, and football, the second biggest pro sp

The Minnesota Twins' Park Byung-ho hit a grand slam for his first home run in the United States on Sunday.Batting sixth, the Korean slugger crushed one off Tampa Bay Ray's right-hander Jake Odorizzi in the first inning of their preseason game in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Twins won the game 5-4.It was the first long ball of the spring for Park, who joined the Twins on a four-year, $12 million deal after they won the posting bid for him with a $12.85 million bid. Park had been one of the most f

It is increasingly sounding like a broken record: Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors will enter the new K League Classic football season as the title favorite.Jeonbuk have won the past two championships in the top-flight South Korean league, and it will likely be much the same story in 2016. If anything, Jeonbuk may have an even better chance to capture the title than the past two years, after making a slew of offseason moves to add depth to an already stacked squad.Their star-studded list of new faces feat

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have won South Korea's top-tier football league the last two years, but that clearly didn't satisfy the club. After a busy offseason, Jeonbuk have come back much stronger this time, primed for a three-peat.Over the winter, Jeonbuk signed a slew of local big names for the squad, which some local fans are now even calling "Real Jeonbuk" or "Bayern Jeonbuk," comparing the four-time K League Classic champ to star-studded Spanish giant Real Madrid and German champion Bayern Mun

South Korean Jang Ha-na picked up her second LPGA Tour win of the season in Singapore on Sunday.Jang cruised to a four-stroke victory at HSBC Women's Champions at Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong Course, after a blistering final round of seven-under 65 took her to 19-under 269 for the tournament. Jang, who won the Coates Golf Championship last month for her maiden victory, is the first LPGA golfer to win twice in 2016, and took home US$225,000 in winner's check.Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand was alon

South Korean Jang Ha-na picked up her second LPGA Tour win of the season in Singapore on Sunday.Jang cruised to a four-stroke victory at HSBC Women's Champions at Sentosa Golf Club's Serapong Course, after a blistering final round of seven-under 65 took her to 19-under 269 for the tournament. Jang, who won the Coates Golf Championship last month for her maiden victory, is the first LPGA golfer to win twice in 2016, and took home $225,000 in winner's check.Pornanong Phatlum of Thailand was alone