The Hanbit Nuclear Reactor 6, located in Younggwang, South Jeolla Province, suddenly halted operations on Wednesday afternoon due to mechanical failure, adding up to the concerns on electricity shortage.“The reactor suddenly went out of order and had to be suspended at 2:44 p.m.,” said an official of the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation.As a result, the nation’s backup power level dropped from 4.5 million kilowatt level to 3.7 million kilowatts as of 3 p.m., which triggered the phase 3 al

South Korea will host Haiti in an upcoming football friendly match, officials announced. The Korea Football Association said South Korea will face Haiti at Incheon Football Stadium, just west of Seoul, at 8 p.m. on Sept. 6.Iran had initially been scheduled to face South Korea on that day but abruptly pulled out of its commitment earlier this month.Haiti is ranked 74th in the latest FIFA rankings. South Korea is at No. 56. This will be the countries’ first meeting.The KFA also announced the venue

South Korean soccer prodigy Kim Young-gyu made his debut in the Spanish Primera Liga Monday by playing for Almeria in its home opener against Villarreal FC.The 18-year-old winger, dubbed “Kiu” by Spanish media, was put in the game 38 minutes into the second half and clocked 10 minutes. Kim demonstrated his quickness and agility and even obtained a free kick from the opposition.His team fell to Villarreal 3-2.Kim was with Almeria’s reserve team until recently, but was called up just before the fi

FC Seoul is set to open the quarterfinals of the AFC Champions League on the road against a Saudi Arabian opponent this week, looking to stay alive as the only Korean side in the top club competition in Asia.FC Seoul of the K League Classic and Al Ahli of the Saudi Professional League will play the opening match of their two-leg quarterfinals at King Abdulaziz Sport City Stadium at 3 a.m. on Thursday (Korean time).The second leg will be held at Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sept. 18. The aggregate

Hong Myung-bo will soon travel to Europe to see players expected to join his squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the sport’s local governing body said Tuesday.The Korea Football Association said Hong will likely depart two days after South Korea plays Peru on Wednesday.When not faced with scheduling conflicts with European seasons, South Korea typically takes about a dozen Europe-based players to international matches.Most of the South Koreans currently playing in Europe were integral members of

SYDNEY (AFP) ― A-League clubs will promote Korea at matches next season in efforts to raise Australians’ awareness of Asia and soccer in the region, organizers of the 2015 Asian Cup said Monday.Australia will host the next Asian football showpiece and organizing committee chief executive Michael Brown said the 2015 tournament had been awarded a $36,775 grant from the Australia-Korea Foundation to increase Australia’s understanding of Korea.“Thanks to the support of the Australia-Korea Foundation

The English Premier League has long dominated the popularity of international football in Southeast Asia. It's newest rival for regional audiences comes not from the major leagues of Spain or Italy, but from Japan.The J-League, established in 1993 and generally regarded as Asia's best domestic competition, does not have the history or the prestige of the big European leagues. But while English clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool often play a friendly in Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur every coupl