The Korea Herald

Buckling to temptation not new in soccer

Jul 18, 2011

A match-fixing scandal in South Korean football shows little sign of slowing down with a growing number of players and teams implicated. The one consolation for the Korean Football Association and the K-League is that they are not alone. It is an international issue. In June, 10 South Korean players were charged by prosecutors with accepting bribes to fix the result of games. In July, 46 more we...
Striker Ji tunes into new club

Jul 18, 2011

South Korean striker Ji Dong-won has expressed his excitement for the upcoming season in the English Premier League. The 20-year-old Ji, who signed last month with Sunderland AFC, is enjoying being on the pre-season tour with his new club. Sunderland’s new striker Ji Dong-won (right) of Korea speaks with manager Steve Bruce on Friday. (Sunderland) “If I stay injury free and have time to adapt ...
FC Seoul and Suwon seek spark

Jul 18, 2011

So much has happened in this K-League season, some good and quite a lot fairly bad. It seems a long time since it all started back at the beginning of March. Champions FC Seoul and FA Cup holders Suwon Bluewings met in the capital in front of almost 50,000 fans. It wasn’t the best of games but it saw Suwon win 2-0. Whatever the result, the expectation was that both teams would have a good season ...
Japan bathes in glory of World Cup win

Jul 18, 2011

TOKYO (AFP) -- Japan erupted in joy early Monday after their women‘s football team won the World Cup in Germany, hailing the penalty shootout victory as a “dream come true”. Supporters watched the cliffhanger 3-1 shootout win over twice champions the United States live on television at home, in sports bars and in public places across the country. Japan players celebrate with the trophy after wi...
5 N. Koreans positive for steroids

Jul 17, 2011

Officials blame traditional musk deer gland medicine FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ― A total of five North Korea players have tested positive for steroids at the women’s World Cup, soccer’s biggest doping scandal at a major tournament in 17 years. FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Saturday that after two players were caught during the tournament this month, FIFA tested the rest of the North Korean squ...
U.S., Japan roar into Cup final

Jul 14, 2011

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ― Both call teamwork the highest good and both are in the final of the World Cup after 3-1 victories. Yet few teams could be as different as the United States and Japan. The U.S. team again fed off the emotional high of overcoming fatigue and setbacks to find exhilarating unity and late goals to beat France. Japan, meanwhile, prided itself on an inner calm when it traile...
Japan carries tsunami memories

Jul 13, 2011

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) ― Japan carries memories of the devastation the tsunami heaped on its country into every game at this Women’s World Cup. In sharp contrast, Sweden’s march through the tournament has been as carefree as the twirling, joyous team dance that accompanies every victory. But in the semifinal Wednesday at Frankfurt’s Commerzbank Arena, the difference visible on the field will b...
Sangmu out of K-League?

Jul 13, 2011

While facing a massive match-fixing scandal, the country’s top division football league is exploring the possibility of expelling Sangju Sangmu, the military football club. “We are now discussing a plan to stop sending players to Sangmu, and eventually to remove the club from the K-League,” said a high-level K-League official on condition of anonymity. Sangju Sangmu players gather in midfield d...
Military club coach arrested for blackmail

Jul 12, 2011

The head coach for a local military football team has been arrested for allegedly taking cash from parents of a player involved in match fixing, the defense ministry said Monday. The bench boss for Sangju Sangmu Phoenix in the first-division K-League, named Lee, was arrested on charges of blackmail. The Sangju team is made up of professional players who have been conscripted to serve the mandato...
U.S., Sweden through to semis

Jul 11, 2011

DRESDEN, Germany (AP) ― The match of the tournament turned into one for the ages Sunday when an own goal, retaken penalties, a sending off, an injury-time equalizer and a penalty shootout win swept the United States past Brazil and into the World Cup semifinals after the teams drew 2-2. Sweden had less trouble, advancing in regulation after scoring early and convincingly to destroy the hopes of ...
K-League chief vows major changes

Jul 11, 2011

South Korea’s top division football league will undergo major shifts, including employing a promotion and relegation system to prevent match-fixing and illegal betting. The K-League governing body announced on Monday it will introduce a promotion-relegation system in the league, and also a new draft system from the 2013 season. “We believe the new systems will help preserve the integrity of our...
Gangwon look to improve their play

Jul 11, 2011

It has been one of the best weeks in the history of Gangwon Province. The region doesn’t make many headlines even in its own country but it was catapulted into the global spotlight on Wednesday as the city of PyeongChang was awarded the 2018 Winter Olympics. Now, soccer fans in the region will be hoping that local K-League club Gangwon FC can use the news to kick-start its season. PyeongChang h...
David Beckham, wife Victoria welcome a baby girl

Jul 11, 2011

LONDON (AP) _ David Beckham's spokesman said that the soccer star's wife Victoria has given birth to a healthy baby girl on Sunday. Simon Oliveira said that the celebrity couple are ``delighted to announce the birth of their daughter.'' ``Happy and healthy she arrived at 7.55 am this morning at Cedars Sinai hospital in Los Angeles and weighed 7lbs 10oz,'' Oliveira posted on Twitter, adding that...
U.S. stumbles against Sweden

Jul 7, 2011

N. Korea’s Kim Un-ju (left) and Colombia’s Orianica Velasquez challenge for the ball. (AP-Yonhap News) North Korea battles to a scoreless draw vs. Colombia LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) ― Sweden picked a good time to beat the Americans at the women’s World Cup for the first time, winning 2-1 Wednesday to avoid Brazil and five-time FIFA player of the year Marta in the quarterfinals. Sweden had lost...
Lee Young-pyo may call it quits

Jul 3, 2011

It may sound a little strange now, but just a few years ago, Lee Young-pyo was almost as big a star in South Korea as Park Ji-sung. That was never likely to last and it didn’t. Lee is a solid, no-nonsense, no-headlines type defender while Park operates mostly in the opposition’s half of the field, the one that offers opportunity for glory. More than most players however, just how impressive Lee’...