The two best teams in South Korean football over the past four years are traveling in opposite directions in the early going of the 2023 season, with one club having won the first five matches of the season and the other having managed just one victory in the same stretch. Ulsan Hyundai FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have reigned supreme in the K League 1 since 2019. Jeonbuk won titles in 2019, 2020 and 2021, with Ulsan finishing in second place in all three of those seasons. Ulsan finally claime

The elimination of late-season two-game sets and amended pace-of-play rules are among notable changes in the South Korean baseball league this year. The Korea Baseball Organization has decided to scrap two-game series starting this year, ending a practice that began in 2015. In the early portions of seasons, teams had been playing a pair of three-game series per week, with Monday being the designated off day. Then in later months, they had been playing a trio of two-game series each week. This e

They say in baseball that hope springs eternal for every team this time of year, just before the beginning of a new season. Everyone starts with a 0-0 record, and there's cause for optimism for all. Some off-field issues, however, have threatened to dampen the excitement in the buildup to the new Korea Baseball Organization season, which starts Saturday for all 10 clubs across the nation. The league had hoped to use the World Baseball Classic earlier this month as a launching pad of sorts,

Jang Jung-suk, general manager of the South Korean baseball club Kia Tigers, offered to resign Wednesday after allegations surfaced that he'd asked a free agent for a kickback during contract talks. Former Tigers catcher Park Dong-won has accused Jang of demanding cash in exchange for a favorable deal during their negotiations during the last offseason. Park ended up signing a four-year deal with another Korea Baseball Organization club, the LG Twins. In response to Park's accusations,

South Korean players in Major League Baseball will enter the 2023 season faced with varying degrees of uncertainty. One will switch positions, another may switch teams, and a third will try to establish himself in the big show. The fourth, and the most seasoned of them all, will try to come back in the summer from last year's surgery The new major league season will begin Thursday afternoon across the United States, or early Friday in South Korea. Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres will e

South Korea will take their second crack at winning their first match under new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann this week, hosting Uruguay in Seoul in a rematch of last year's FIFA World Cup. The kickoff between 25th-ranked South Korea and 16th-ranked Uruguay is set for 8 p.m. Tuesday at Seoul World Cup Stadium. South Korea settled for a 2-2 draw against Colombia on Friday, frittering away a 2-0 lead after the restart with some defensive breakdowns. Captain Son Heung-min scored both goals for t

Cha Jun-hwan captured a historic silver medal at the figure skating world championships Saturday, becoming the first South Korean man to reach the podium at the annual competition. Cha finished with a new personal-best 296.03 points in the men's singles at the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Shoma Uno of Japan won his second straight world title with 301.14 points. Ilia Malinin of the United States finished third with

ULSAN -- Who else but Sonny? Son Heung-min, captain of the South Korean men's national football team, fittingly scored the first goal under new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann on Friday. In fact, Son had the first two goals for Klinsmann, though they weren't enough as South Korea settled for a 2-2 draw against Colombia at Munsu Football Stadium in the southeastern city of Ulsan. Son had been captain under the previous coach, Paulo Bento, for the past four years. Klinsmann, who was appointe

Early in his tenure as head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, Jurgen Klinsmann has already displayed one major difference from his predecessor, Paulo Bento. Klinsmann, who was appointed on Feb. 27 and will make his South Korea coaching debut Friday night against Colombia, has not been shy about discussing merits of individual players. In Thursday's prematch press conference, Klinsmann touched upon an immensely popular player whose name Bento was loath to even ment

PAJU -- South Korea's football friendly match against Colombia on Friday will be a rare occasion where one man on the bench will be under a brighter spotlight than any player on the pitch. It will be the South Korea coaching debut for Jurgen Klinsmann, a German football icon with an impeccable playing resume but a coaching CV with a few question marks. Klinsmann will also take the first step toward putting his fingerprints on a team that played for one head coach for the past 4 1/2 years.

TOKYO -- The third time wasn't quite the charm for South Korea at this year's World Baseball Classic. South Korea crashed out of the first round at each of the past two WBCs in 2013 and 2017. The third crack at reaching the second round this year was supposed to be different. On paper, South Korea seemed to have just the right balance of veteran savvy and youthful exuberance. Over the course of four games in a five-day span in Tokyo, it turned out South Korea just had old players who w

South Korea on Monday announced their 26-man national football roster for Jurgen Klinsmann's upcoming coaching debut for the Taegeuk Warriors, featuring many players who competed at last year's FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Korea Football Association posted the squad list on its website, rather than have Klinsmann unveil the roster at a press conference, as is the tradition for national team announcements. Klinsmann, a German football legend, only arrived in South Korea last Wednesday.

TOKYO -- With his team's back against the wall at the ongoing World Baseball Classic, South Korean manager Lee Kang-chul decided to make several lineup changes Sunday. South Korea will take on the Czech Republic at noon Sunday at Tokyo Dome in Pool B. Lee's team must win this game to stay alive in its quest to reach the quarterfinals. Having dropped the first two games by a combined 21-11, Lee will drop Tommy Edman from the leadoff spot to the No. 9 hole. Edman has batted 1-for-8 in

Choi Min-jeong grabbed a silver medal at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Short Track Championships in Seoul on Saturday after finishing behind her Dutch rival Suzanne Schulting. The South Korean Olympic champion placed second in the women's 1,500 meter finals of the 2023 KB Financial Group ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships held at Mokdong Ice Rink in western Seoul. The 24-year-old came across the line in 2:31.448 behind Schulting despite efforts to overtake her.

Tokyo -- Having dropped its first two games of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), South Korea no longer controls its own destiny. In order to reach the quarterfinals as one of the top two teams in Pool B, South Korea must win its two remaining games and pray for help from other countries. South Korea lost to Australia 8-7 on Thursday and then to Japan 13-4 on Friday. It will next play the Czech Republic at noon Sunday and close out the first round against China at 7 p.m. Monday. All games are at