Badminton star Lee Yong-dae has been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19, his team said Monday. The 32-year-old player tested positive for the new coronavirus on April 23 and entered a quarantine facility, according to the Yonex badminton team. Lee was discharged Monday because he showed no symptoms. He is self-isolating at home and will take a test again this week, Yonex said. He took a test on April 22 after a person who he ate together with tested positive, team officials said. The le

S. Korean Go masters Lee Chang-ho, Choi Jeong highlight 2021 Pro-am Baduk Competition

The number of new coronavirus cases among athletes and the training staff of the South Korean national wrestling team rose to 22, the sport's governing body said Wednesday. The national team traveled to Almaty, Kazakhstan, to participate in the 2021 Asian Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament from April 8-11 and the 2021 Asian Wrestling Championships from April 12-18. Twenty-four returned to Korea on April 19, and seven tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the Korea Wre

With paiN Gaming winning the Brazil league finals Monday, all 12 teams heading to the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational have been locked in. However, Riot Games announced Tuesday that the Vietnamese Championship Series will not be participating due to COVID-19 restrictions. “We explored numerous solutions that would allow the VCS team to compete in Iceland, but we were unable to find a way to make this happen. We are deeply disappointed to have to continue without one of our most

Defending champion DWG Kia swept Gen.G Esports 3-0 in the League of Legends Champions Korea Finals on Saturday to secure a ticket to the Mid-Season Invitational in May and win prize money of 200 million won ($178,000). Although DWG Kia was the clear favorite leading up to the finals, the fact that Gen.G Esports and DWG Kia both swept their quarterfinals opponents 3-0 had raised expectations for a closely contested final. However, the 2020 LCK Summer champion and world champion dominated the ga

All eyes are on DWG Kia and Gen.G Esports as the two head to the 2021 LCK Spring Finals on Saturday to play for the spring title and a chance to play at the Mid-Season Invitational in May. During the online press conference Tuesday for the LCK Spring Finals, both coach Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun of DWG Kia and Ju “oDin” Young-dal of Gen.G Esports expressed immense respect for their opponents, but each had confidence in coming out victorious. “Facing DWG Kia, who are

LCK plans to expand overseas in latter half of year

Eleven members of the SK Hawks men's handball team have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus, a local government said Wednesday. Thirteen players and coaches of the team, based in Cheongju, 150 kilometers south of Seoul, underwent COVID-19 tests Tuesday, after nine people showed signs of fever and cough in the afternoon. Eleven of them tested positive while two tested negative, the city government said. Health authorities are conducting an epidemiological survey to determine the

With one week remaining in the League of Legends Champions Korea Spring regular season, all but one of the six teams advancing to the playoffs starting March 31 have been decided. 2020 LoL World Championship winner DWG KIA continued their dominance in the second round to capture the No. 1 spot in the regular season and are heading directly to the second round of playoffs. The playoff format newly introduced this year places the regular season first and second place teams in the second round

League of Legends as an esport is slowly but surely gaining popularity among various demographics, judging by the demographics of LoL Champions Korea fans. As one of the most popular esports leagues, the LCK is seen by fans around the world, with over half the viewers watching from abroad. According to the game’s maker Riot Games, the average number of viewers for the 2020 LCK summer season was around 166,000, which was up 74 percent from a year prior. The Korea Creative Content Agency

Lim Hyo-jun, who won South Korea's first gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in short track speed skating, has applied for Chinese citizenship, a source close to the athlete said Saturday. According to the source, the scandal-ridden skater, facing sexual harassment charges, is going through a special naturalization process after receiving an offer from the Chinese Skating Association. "He'll skate for China at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics," the source said, adding that Lim fel

The Mid-Season Invitational for League of Legends, featuring 12 teams from regions across the world, will be held in Reykjavik, Iceland from May 6 to 23, according to Riot Games on Tuesday. As the second biggest LoL event of the year, behind only the World Championships in the fall, the MSI was canceled last year due to COVID-19. One of the biggest awards for winning the spring split for teams around the world is punching the ticket to MSI. It is one of few opportunities for teams in minor r

LCK more competitive, but roster flexibility needs to be improved

A professional volleyball player has abruptly retired after admitting to assault allegations from his school days, the latest black eye to the sport reeling from a snowballing bullying scandal. Park Sang-ha of the Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance Bluefangs announced his retirement through his V-League club Monday evening. The decision came three days after Park's middle school classmate accused the player of beating him up in 1999 in an online post. Park, 34, admitted that he had assaulted

Professional volleyball's growing popularity in South Korea came crashing down over the Lunar New Year long weekend, as the league's star players got embroiled in a scandal over their checkered pasts as bullies. The V-League, run by the Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO), saw cable TV ratings for some big matches rival or even surpass those of baseball, the nation's No. 1 sport, in recent years. It is now reeling from allegations, since acknowledged by the implicated individuals, that some of