President Moon Jae-in applauded the South Korean women's volleyball team Sunday, praising its unsuccessful but "extraordinarily touching" bid to win a medal at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. "The team extraordinarily touched (the hearts of Koreans)," Moon wrote on social media after the women's team ended its Olympic competition in fourth place. In the bronze medal match held earlier in the day at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, the South Korean women's team lost to Serbia 0-3, fallin

South Korea may have received disappointing results at the Tokyo Olympics, which closes Sunday, recording its lowest gold medal haul of six in 37 years. But some of its players pulled off their best performances at the world's biggest sporting competition, breaking one Olympic record and setting four national records. Archer An San, who won three of the country's six gold medals in Tokyo, set new Olympic records in the women's ranking round on July 23 with a total of 680 points. It is the firs

TOKYO -- It didn't take long for new stars to emerge for South Korea at the Tokyo Olympics. In fact, it happened just hours before the opening ceremony on July 23. An San set an Olympic record score of 680 out of a maximum 720 to finish first in the women's archery ranking round. As the top seed, the 20-year-old would represent the country in the inaugural mixed team event, alongside Kim Je-deok, the 17-year-old who won the men's ranking round. The fiery Kim fist-pumped and screamed his way i

TOKYO -- South Korea's streak of finishing in the top 10 in the Summer Olympic medal race came to an end at four events in Tokyo, though the competition still provided many memorable moments and records for the country that prides itself in being a consistent Olympic force every four years. South Korea ended with six gold, four silver and 10 bronze medals, a handful of gold medals shy of cracking the top 10. For Tokyo, the wait between the Olympic Games ended up being five years, after the COV

TOKYO -- All good things must come to an end, and a feel-good story of South Korea's improbable run to the final four at the Tokyo Olympic women's volleyball tournament was no exception. South Korea lost to Serbia in straight sets in the bronze medal match Sunday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Ranked 12th, South Korea wasn't expected to beat the sixth-ranked Serbia. In fact, few had predicted South Korea would even get this deep into the tournament. South Korea made it out of the group stage thanks

TOKYO -- Following his team's loss to Serbia in the bronze medal match of the Tokyo Olympic women's volleyball tournament Sunday, South Korea head coach Stefano Lavarini stood only a few feet away from his captain Kim Yeon-koung as she was announcing her retirement from international play. With Lavarini's contract also expiring at the conclusion of the Olympics and Kim unlikely to change her mind at age 33, the pair may just have played their final match together. The Italy-born coach reserved

The South Korean economy is facing heightened uncertainty as the recovery of domestic demand is likely to slow amid a recent spike in COVID-19 cases, a state-run think tank said Sunday. Asia's fourth-largest economy is on a recovery track amid solid exports, but the toughest-ever virus curbs, in effect due to the fourth wave of the pandemic, may dampen improving domestic demand, according to a monthly economic assessment report by the Korea Development Institute (KDI). "The intensifying s

TOKYO -- South Korean volleyball legend Kim Yeon-koung announced her retirement from international play Sunday, an hour after the team's straight-set loss to Serbia in the bronze medal match of the Tokyo Olympics. Fighting back tears after South Korea fell short of a medal at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Kim said she has played her last match for the national team. "Today was my last game as a national team player," Kim said. "It's disappointing to end the Olympics like this. But I am

TOKYO -- South Korea lost to Serbia in the bronze medal match of the Tokyo Olympic women's volleyball tournament Sunday, as the unlikely storybook run to the final four came to a heartbreaking end. The sixth-ranked Serbia took down No. 12 South Korea 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-15) at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. This is the final day of the Olympics. Captain Kim Yeon-koung led South Korea with 11 points. South Korea had no answer for Tijana Boskovic, who dominated with 33 points. South Korea managed to

South Korea's daily new coronavirus cases fell below 1,800 on Sunday but still marked the highest tally for a Sunday to date, with the country extending its stringent virus curbs amid few signs of the situation abating. The country added 1,729 COVID-19 cases, including 1,670 local infections, raising the total caseload to 210,956, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The latest caseload is down from 1,823 reported Saturday but up from 1,704 on Friday. Daily case

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered full state support for recovery efforts in a flood-hit eastern province as the country convened an emergency meeting of the provincial military commission to come up with recovery plans, state media reported Sunday. About 1,170 homes were destroyed or flooded, and some 5,000 residents were evacuated urgently and large tracts of farmlands were flooded as up to 307 millimeters of rain fell in the eastern South Hamgyong Province between Aug. 1-2, accordi

South Korea has tentatively decided to conduct the upcoming military exercise with the United States as planned, albeit in a scaled-back manner due to the pandemic, sources said Sunday, despite North Korea's warning the maneuvers will cast a pall over inter-Korean relations. Whether and how to conduct the summertime exercise has drawn keen attention, particularly after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned the drills will dampen the conciliatory mood created after P

South Korea blew a late lead and lost to the Dominican Republic 10-6 in the bronze medal game of the Tokyo Olympic baseball tournament Saturday, after coming within six outs of its second straight Olympic medal. 　Closer Oh Seung-hwan allowed five runs in the top of the eighth as a 6-5 lead for South Korea turned into a 10-6 deficit at Yokohama Stadium in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. 　South Korea won the gold in 2008, the last time baseball was contested at the Olympics. This year, South Korea lo

The last-gasp charge ultimately wasn‘t enough for South Korean golfers, as they all failed to claim a medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Saturday. World No. 2 Ko Jin-young and No. 4 Kim Sei-young finished at 10-under 274, good for a tie for ninth as the top South Korean players at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, north of Tokyo. Nelly Korda of the United States captured the gold medal at 17-under 267. Lydia Ko of New Zealand and Mone Inami of Japan finished regulation tied for second

After coming up short in her gold medal defense Saturday in Japan, LPGA Hall of Famer Park In-bee said she was done playing at the Olympics. “I don‘t think there will be a next Olympics for me,” Park said, after shooting a two-under 69 in the final round of the Tokyo Olympic women’s golf tournament at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama, north of Tokyo. She finished her tournament at five-under 279, tied for 23rd with leaders still on the course. “I‘ve now