The Korea Herald

Korean alpine ski racers begin training for 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics

SportsFeb 15, 2016

A team of professional Korean alpine skiers began their downhill and Super-G training last week for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics following the International Ski Federation Ski World Cup held on Feb. 6-7 at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre.International alpine ski racers practice at the Jeongseon Alpine Centre ahead of the 2016 FIS Ski World Cup early this month. (2018 PyeongChang Olympics Organizing Committee)The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism backed eight athletes of the Korea Ski A
Korea's Lee Seung-hoon takes world speed skating title in mass start

More sportsFeb 15, 2016

South Korea's Lee Seung-hoon captured his first world speed skating title in mass start with a late burst in Russia on Sunday.Lee won the men's mass start at the International Skating Union World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Kolomna, Russia, in 7 minutes, 18.26 seconds. Lee beat the defending champ, Arjan Stroetinga of the Netherlands, by 0.06 second, to become the first South Korean, male or female, to win a world title in a race other than 500m.Alexis Contin of France finish
Korean tandem finish 7th at bobsleigh worlds

More sportsFeb 15, 2016

The South Korean two-man bobsleigh team of Won Yun-jong and Seo Young-woo finished seventh at the world championship in Austria on Sunday.Won, the pilot, and Seo, his brakeman, posted a time of 3 minutes, 27.12 seconds in four runs at the 2016 International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation World Championship in Innsbruck on Saturday.The duo was in seventh place after the first two runs of 1:43.51, and failed to move up in the standings over their final two runs.Francesco Friedrich and Thorsten Ma
[Graphic News] KBO releases top pro baseball salaries for 2016

BaseballFeb 14, 2016

Hanwha Eagles’ first baseman Kim Tae-kyun is the highest-paid pro baseball player in Korea this year, according to statistics released by the Korea Baseball Organization last Thursday.Kim’s annual contract with the Eagles landed him a 1.6 billion won ($1.3 million) salary. Broken down by position, the highest-paid pitcher was Kia Tigers’ Yoon Suk-min with 1.25 billion won, while Samsung Lions’ Lee Seung-yeop took top spot among designated hitters with 1 billion won, the same as SK Wyverns’ third
Olympic speed skating champ Lee Sang-hwa captures 3rd world title

More sportsFeb 14, 2016

Two-time Olympic speed skating champion Lee Sang-hwa captured her third world title on Saturday in Russia.Lee won the women's 500 meter gold medal at the International Skating Union World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Kolomna, Russia. The South Korean posted the track record time of 74.859 seconds after two runs. Brittany Bowe of the United States took the silver in 75.663 seconds, and Zhang Hong of China got the bronze in 75.688 seconds.It was the first world championship in t
Korea coach to return from vacation, begin prep for final World Cup qualifying stage

SoccerFeb 12, 2016

South Korea men's football head coach Uli Stielike is scheduled to return from his vacation next week to begin preparing for the final World Cup qualification stage, the sport's national governing body said Friday.According to the Korea Football Association (KFA), Stielike will arrive back in South Korea next Wednesday, ending his offseason break that lasted for a little over a month.Even during his time off, Stielike attended South Korean matches at the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Champi
Top domestic football league identifies illegal practice, mulls over punishment

SoccerFeb 12, 2016

The nation's top football league said Friday it is mulling over the appropriate punishment for an illegal economic practice banned by the sport's international governing body.An official with the K League said the league office has identified cases of third-party ownership, and that it may convene a disciplinary committee meeting to discuss potential punishments.Third-party ownership refers to a club's sharing of a player's economic rights with third-party sources such as agents, management agen
Ex-Olympic champ Lee Seung-hoon well off podium at speed skating worlds

More sportsFeb 12, 2016

Former Olympic speed skating gold medalist Lee Seung-hoon finished well off the podium at the world championships in Russia on Thursday.Lee finished 10th among 12 skaters in the men's 10,000 meters at the International Skating Union World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Kolomna, Russia. The 2010 Olympic champion in the distance checked in at 13 minutes, 23.73 seconds.It was nearly 27 seconds worse than Lee's personal best of 12:57.27, set during an ISU World Cup stop in February
Olympic speed skating champ Lee Sang-hwa seeking 3rd world title in 500m

More sportsFeb 11, 2016

Two-time reigning Olympic champion Lee Sang-hwa will be chasing her third world speed skating title in the women's 500 meters in Russia this weekend.Lee will race at the International Skating Union World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships in Kolomna, Russia.The women's 500m is set for Saturday.Skaters will have to race twice, and the combined time will determine the winner.Lee, the world record holder with 36.36 seconds, won the 500m title in 2012 and 2013 before defending her Olympic
Korean reliever Oh Seung-hwan to embrace setup role with Cardinals

BaseballFeb 11, 2016

Though he has been a closer for the majority of his career, South Korean reliever Oh Seung-hwan said Thursday's he will embrace a setup role with his new major league club.Oh left home Thursday to join the St. Louis Cardinals in their spring training in Jupiter, Florida. Pitchers and catchers are to report next Wednesday.Oh, who signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals on Jan. 11, has been a lights-out closer in both South Korea and Japan. He's the all-time saves leader in the Korea Baseball Or
Golf's new giant slayer hoping for shot at Olympics

GolfFeb 11, 2016

After stunning world No. 1 Jordan Spieth with his first professional victory earlier this month, South Korean Song Young-han said Thursday he's hoping for a chance to compete at this year's Summer Olympics.Golf's latest giant slayer made a triumphant return home Thursday after beating Spieth by one shot to win the SMBC Singapore Open on the Asian Tour on Feb. 1."It was an honor to win the tournament by beating the No.1-ranked player. I was fortunate," he told reporters at Incheon International A
World's No. 1 men's badminton duo perfect foils for each other

More sportsFeb 11, 2016

As the world's No. 1-ranked men's badminton doubles tandem, Lee Yong-dae and Yoo Yeon-seong of South Korea will be carrying the weight of the nation when this year's Summer Olympics kicks off in Rio de Janeiro -- though that's not exactly why Yoo has been doing extensive weight training.The 29-year-old only hopes to add to his power game -- defined by his formidable smashes -- that perfectly complements Lee's flair around the net and his defensive wizardry."I fully expect our opponents to come a
South Korean Jang Ha-na claims maiden LPGA win

GolfFeb 7, 2016

South Korean Jang Ha-na claimed her maiden LPGA Tour victory in Florida on Saturday, becoming the second straight player from the country to win on the world's largest female tour. (Yonhap)Jang won the weather-interrupted Coates Golf Championship in Ocala, Florida, at 11-under 277, edging out Brooke Henderson of Canada by two strokes. Jang, forced to play 30 holes on Saturday after rain had disrupted the schedule, survived another wet day with an even 72 over her final 18 holes for a wire-to-wir
Mariners' Lee Dae-ho remains 'confident' ahead of preseason competition

BaseballFeb 5, 2016

He might not have signed the major league deal that he'd earlier envisioned, but South Korean slugger Lee Dae-ho, who recently joined the Seattle Mariners on a minor league contract, said Friday he's seeing the glass half full.The first baseman/designated hitter will have to battle for a big league job when the Mariners' position players report to spring training in three weeks. It may not be what the 2015 Japan Series MVP, who'd earlier won a regular season MVP in South Korea, had in mind when
'Improving' badminton player eyeing first Olympic medal in Rio

Olympic GamesFeb 4, 2016

At No. 7 in the women's singles badminton rankings with a slew of international victories, Sung Ji-hyun admits she remains a work in progress. Sung, however, has been improving at a rate that has the South Korean national team camp buzzing with talks of an Olympic medal for the 24-year-old in Rio de Janeiro in August. She's fresh off a Badminton World Federation (BWF) Grand Prix victory in India last week. During an open training session in Seoul Thursday, Sung said she was pleased to get th