Friendship does wonders for artistic swimming tandem

South Korean artistic swimmers Byun Jae-jun and Kim Ji-hye have only been training and competing as a duo since April. But their friendship goes back much further -- to their elementary school days, in fact. Byun and Kim, now 20 and 19, were in the same class in first grade. Though they weren't doing artistic swimming then, they developed quick friendship that has lasted over a decade. And after wrapping up their first world championships together here on Saturday, they credited their perso

July 22, 2023

S. Korean swimmers head to Japan for world championships

Led by reigning silver medalist Hwang Sun-woo, the South Korean national swimming team headed to Japan on Thursday for the world championships. The World Aquatics Championships began last Friday in the port city of Fukuoka with artistic swimming and diving. Swimming races will begin Sunday and run through July 30. Lee Jeong-hoon, head coach of the swimming team, said he is pleased with the work his athletes have put in for the big event. "I think our preparation has gone the way we've

July 20, 2023

N. Korea submits preliminary list of entries for World Weightlifting Championships

North Korea has submitted a preliminary list of athletes to compete in the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships, raising expectations that the reclusive country may return to the international sports arena following years of COVID-19-related border shutdowns. According to the list unveiled by the International Weightlifting Federation on Saturday, the North has registered 16 athletes for the championships slated for Sept. 4-17 in Riyadh. If the participation is realized, it would mark the coun

July 8, 2023

AfreecaTV bolsters ties with World Union of Billiards in Portugal

AfreecaTV, one of South Korea’s biggest livestreaming platforms, met with global billiards industry officials at the venue of the Porto Three-Cushion World Cup in Portugal on Thursday to discuss ways to globally develop the billiards industry through its platform. AfreecaTV exclusively livestreamed two Three-Cushion World Cup tournaments, held in Portugal and Vietnam this year, respectively. “The key to the billiards industry’s success lies in a strong partnership with all the

July 3, 2023

As Asiad nears 100-day countdown, S. Korea eyes to bounce back in medal race

The 19th edition of the Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, last fall, had to be pushed back by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the host country. With that, South Korea's chance at redemption had to be on hold for another 12 months. The countdown for the Sept. 23--Oct. 8 competition will reach 100 days Thursday, and South Korea is set to send its largest-ever Asian Games delegation with 1,180 athletes and officials competing in all 40 sports. Despite the stated g

June 13, 2023

South Korea's An wins Thailand Open final

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Badminton women's singles world number two An Se-young smashed home victory at the final of the Thailand Open in Bangkok on Sunday, overcoming China's He Bingjiao. The 21-year-old South Korean came out roaring and was in knock-out form throughout the 21-10, 21-19 straight games victory in the Thai capital. World number five He fought back in the second game -- leading briefly by four points -- which featured some brilliant net play from both players. But she could not

June 4, 2023

Stars lift S. Korea to 2nd place at World Team Trophy in Figure Skating

Behind career-best performances by its two biggest stars, South Korea ranked second after the first day of the International Skating Union (ISU) World Team Trophy in Figure Skating on Thursday. Lee Hae-in, the reigning world silver medalist in the women's singles, won the short program with a personal-best 76.90 points at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Tokyo. By finishing first in her discipline, Lee scored 12 ranking points for South Korea. Her previous personal-best score of 73.62 points

April 13, 2023

Cha Jun-hwan wins historic silver at figure skating worlds

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

March 25, 2023

KBO MVP, sage veterans among S. Koreans to watch besides major leaguers

OSAKA -- This may be hard to believe, but there are other players on the South Korean squad for the World Baseball Classic aside from its two major leaguers, Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres and Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals. The duo have been the headliners for a team on a redemption tour in Japan, after crashing out of the first round in each of the past two iterations in 2013 and 2017, and deservedly so. Edman, born in Michigan to a Korean mother and an American father, is the

March 7, 2023

With two gold medals, short tracker Park Ji-won closes in on World Cup overall title

South Korean short track speed skater Park Ji-won has strengthened his grip on the World Cup overall lead with two more gold medals in Germany over the weekend. Park won the men's 1,500 meters in the fifth stop of the International Skating Union World Cup Short Track Speed Skating in Dresden, Germany, on Sunday (local time). The 26-year-old had won the 1,000m gold medal on Saturday. With the two latest victories, Park improved to 868 points in the World Cup overall standings for the season,

Feb. 6, 2023

Woman’s Sports Association VP tapped to promote diversity in canoeing

A South Korean former athlete and local sports body executive has been named by a global federation of canoe organizations to lead diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity for women. Park Gi-young, vice president of South Korea’s Woman’s Sports Association, was tapped by International Canoe Federation President Thomas Konietzko as the chairman of the Lausanne-based organization’s diversity and inclusion committee as well as the person in charge of the body’s women&rsq

Feb. 1, 2023

S. Korea to demand clarification from top Asian sports body over Russia's Asian Games participation

The South Korean national Olympic body said Wednesday it will seek further clarification from the top Asian sports organization, in light of the latter's decision to allow Russia to compete in the continent's largest multisport event. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee plans to send a formal letter to the Olympic Council of Asia this week demanding answers on how the continental body will operate this year's Asian Games with athletes from Russia and also Belarus on hand. Del

Feb. 1, 2023

Kwon Soon-woo matches career high in world rankings after second ATP title

South Korean tennis player Kwon Soon-woo has matched his career high in the world rankings following a historic ATP Tour victory over the weekend. Kwon soared 32 spots to reach No. 52 in the latest ATP rankings released Monday. Kwon captured the men's singles title at the Adelaide International 2 on Saturday in Adelaide, Australia. He became the first South Korean player with multiple ATP Tour titles. Kwon had also climbed to No. 52 in November 2021, two months after his maiden ATP title at

Jan. 16, 2023

Viktor An seeks to return as coach in Korea

South Korean-born Russian short track speedskating champion Viktor An has applied for a coaching job in Korea for the ice skating team of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, according to local reports on Tuesday. An, previously known as An Hyun-soo, won three gold medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy as part of the Korean national team, but failed to qualify for the next Olympics after suffering an injury in 2008. He acquired Russian citizenship in 2011 to continue skating in Russia after

Jan. 11, 2023

Six time speed skating medalist Lee Seung-hoon targets 2026 Olympics

At an age when most athletes find themselves on the downslope of their careers, South Korean speed skater Lee Seung-hoon, about two months shy of his 35th birthday, isn't letting up. Even with six medals from four Winter Olympic Games under his belt, Lee is still hungry. And if his recent performances are any indication, Lee remains competitive, too. "My goal moving forward is to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics," Lee said through his agency, IHQ, on Thursday, one day after cap

Dec. 30, 2022

Tough-luck speed skater enjoying string of good fortune

INCHEON-- Lady Luck seems to be finally smiling down on South Korean speed skater Kim Jun-ho this season, after the 27-year-old had suffered some bad fortune on the ice for years. Kim has gone from losing out on medals by fractions of a second to winning them by miniscule margins. Kim opened the International Skating Union World Cup season in November with a bronze medal in the men's 500 meters. He added another bronze in the 500m earlier this month and then claimed his first World Cup ti

Dec. 21, 2022

[Photo News] Pro players mourn Itaewon victims

Professional sports leagues across the country joined the nation in mourning the loss of 154 lives during Saturday night’s deadly crowd surge in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Prior to the kickoff for game 2 of the 2022 Hana Bank FA Cup finals between Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and FC Seoul on Sunday, the players, coaching staff and fans bowed their heads out of respect for victims. The game was won by the eventual champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, who took the cup after a 3-1 victory. Profession

Oct. 31, 2022

Figure skating legend Kim Yu-na releases pre-ceremony photos before exchanging vows

South Korean Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yu-na released her pre-wedding photos on Saturday before tying the knot with a classical singer later in the day. Kim's Seoul-based agency, All That Sports, released the former figure skater's portraits with her groom, Ko Woo-rim. The ceremony was to take place later Saturday in Seoul, open only to family and friends. Kim announced her engagement with Ko, a 27-year-old member of the Korea crossover vocal quartet Forestella, in July. Kim,

Oct. 22, 2022

World No. 5 Zverev withdraws from ATP Korea Open with injury

Reigning Olympic men's tennis champion Alexander Zverev has pulled out of the upcoming ATP Tour event in Seoul with a lingering ankle injury, the tournament organizers announced Thursday. Officials of the Eugene Korea Open said Zverev is still recovering from his ankle injury sustained during his semifinal loss to Rafael Nadal at the French Open in June. Zverev, a two-time ATP Finals winner and the 2021 Olympic men's singles gold medalist, had eyed a return to tour action in the Sout

Sept. 22, 2022

Ex-Grand Slam champions advance to quarterfinals at WTA Korea Open

Two former Grand Slam women's singles champions reached the quarterfinals of the WTA event in Seoul on Thursday, staying on a collision course for a duel in the semis. Emma Raducanu of Britain, the 2021 US Open champion, defeated Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-3, 7-5 in the round of 16 at the Hana Bank Korea Open at Olympic Park Tennis Center in Seoul. In the following match, the top seed Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open winner, squeezed past Anastasia Gasanova of Russia 6-3, 5-7, 7-

Sept. 22, 2022