South Korean artistic swimmers Byun Jae-jun and Kim Ji-hye have only been training and competing as a duo since April. But their friendship goes back much further -- to their elementary school days, in fact. Byun and Kim, now 20 and 19, were in the same class in first grade. Though they weren't doing artistic swimming then, they developed quick friendship that has lasted over a decade. And after wrapping up their first world championships together here on Saturday, they credited their perso

Led by reigning silver medalist Hwang Sun-woo, the South Korean national swimming team headed to Japan on Thursday for the world championships. The World Aquatics Championships began last Friday in the port city of Fukuoka with artistic swimming and diving. Swimming races will begin Sunday and run through July 30. Lee Jeong-hoon, head coach of the swimming team, said he is pleased with the work his athletes have put in for the big event. "I think our preparation has gone the way we've

The South Korean baseball league on Wednesday imposed lengthy bans on three minor league players for the physical abuse of their teammates. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) handed down a 72-game ban on SSG Landers minor league pitcher Lee Won-joon, while banning their minor league infielder Lee Geo-yeon and outfielder Choi Sang-min for 30 games each. The KBO had been investigating the abuse cases since last week. According to the KBO, the incident took place in the Landers' minor lea

Adidas launched limited edition soccer cleats dedicated to Tottenham’s Son Heung-min on Tuesday, to commemorate 15 years of sponsorship. The Son Heung-min edition, called the HMS Pack, is available at the official online stores, the Adidas flagship store in Myeong-dong, Gangnam Brand Center, Hongdae Brand Center and soccer gear stores. The HMS Pack comes in three models. The laceless FG model is priced at 319,000 won ($252), TF models for male adults at 129,000 won, and TF J models for wom

South Korean defender Kim Min-jae has joined German football giants Bayern Munich, a move that ends weeks of speculation on the next destination for the gifted center-back. Bayern Munich announced Tuesday that they have signed Kim away from Serie A champions Napoli to a five-year contract. Kim will wear No. 3. Bayern Munich will be Kim's fourth club in four seasons. After ending a three-year stint with Beijing Guoan in 2021, Kim moved to Turkiye to play for Fenerbahce in the 2021-2022 seaso

Under mounting criticism, the South Korean football governing body decided on Tuesday to drop defender Lee Sang-min from the men's Asian Games squad over his past drunk driving conviction. The Korea Football Association acknowledged and apologized for its oversight in selecting Lee in the first place last Friday against its own set of rules. Lee was arrested after driving under the influence of alcohol in May 2020 while playing for Chungnam Asan in the second-tier K League 2. Three months l

Valeri Qazaishvili, Georgian midfielder for first-place Ulsan Hyundai FC, was named the top player in South Korean football for June. The Korea Professional Football League announced Qazaishvili, known as Vako here, as the winner of the Player of the Month award for June in the top-flight K League 1. It is his first career monthly award. In four matches last month, Vako scored five goals and recorded an assist as well. The winner was chosen based on votes by the K League's technical study

For the first time in nearly three years, Ulsan Hyundai FC have lost back-to-back matches in the K League 1. That has given rivals of the league-leading club a glimmer of hope. Ulsan suffered a 3-1 loss to the last-place Suwon Samsung Bluewings on Saturday, three days after falling to Incheon United 2-1. This is Ulsan's first losing streak since October 2020. Through Sunday's play, Ulsan remained atop the league tables with 53 points on 17 wins, two draws and four losses. Pohang Steele

For the second time in his major league career, Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres has hit a leadoff home run. Kim greeted Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler with a home run in the top of the first inning at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Sunday, staking his visiting team to a 1-0 lead. Wheeler threw Kim a 2-2 sweeper below the zone, and Kim went down and got all of the pitch. Kim's homer traveled 352 feet over the left field fence at a launch angle of 32 degrees. It was Ki

By tying for third place at the Genesis Scottish Open on Sunday, South Korean golfer An Byeong-hun grabbed a last-minute spot at the Open Championship, the fourth and final major of the men's season, teeing off this week. And he's going to prepare for the big tournament by doing, of all things, laundry. When he arrived at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland, An had not packed enough clothes for a trip to England for the Open Championship. But with his third-place finish at

Working his way back from elbow surgery, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin now has a solid Triple-A start under his belt. Pitching for the Buffalo Bisons, the South Korean left-hander gave up a run on three hits in five innings against the Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers affiliate, at Sahlen Field in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday. It was Ryu's third minor league outing since undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair ligament damage in his left elbow in June 2022. He has been gradual

As the first half of the season drew to a conclusion in South Korean baseball this week, a familiar name sat atop the home run leaderboard. Choi Jeong of the SSG Landers is tied for the home run lead in the Korea Baseball Organization with 19 after 73 games. He is chasing his fourth home run crown, which would make him the oldest player to lead the KBO in that category at 36 years and eight months old. The player on level with Choi is at the other end of the age spectrum. Roh Si-hwan of the Hanw

Kevin Sim, son of a former star slugger in the top South Korean baseball league, has been drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in Major League Baseball. The Diamondbacks selected Sim, third baseman for the University of San Diego, with their 148th overall pick in the fifth round of the annual draft. Sim, 21, is son of Shim Chong-soo, who smacked 328 home runs in his 15-year career in the Korea Baseball Organization to rank 10th on the all-time list. In 2003, Shim, then playing for the Hyundai Uni

Montenegrin striker Stefan Mugosa has reunited with the South Korean club Incheon United, following one unsuccessful year in Japan. Incheon announced late Monday that Mugosa had agreed to a new deal that will keep him in the K League 1 until 2025, after he terminated his previous deal with the Japanese club Vissel Kobe. The club livestreamed Mugosa's arrival at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on its YouTube channel Monday evening, showing Mugosa taking off his polo shirt to re

South Korea embarked on a journey to Australia on Monday to prepare for the FIFA Women's World Cup, looking for their second trip to the knockout stage in their fourth appearance at the big event. Coached by Colin Bell, 17th-ranked South Korea will play out of Group H. Their first match is July 25 against No. 25 Colombia, followed by No. 72 Morocco on July 30 and then No. 2 Germany on Aug. 3. "Everyone on the team is looking forward to the World Cup," Bell told reporters at Incheo