With undersized delegation, S. Korea fears worst Olympic outing in nearly 50 years

July 26 will mark the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympics, but the French-bound South Korean delegation for the international sporting event is expected to be the smallest in recent years. A lackluster performance by the men's soccer team in April, and bitter losses by both men's and women's volleyball teams last year, meant that the country would not be participating in these events for the first time in several decades. The women's basketball team also lost its bid for qua

June 25, 2024

Faker makes history again with Hall of Legends induction

South Korean esports legend Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, an undisputed superstar in the world of competitive gaming, etched his name as the first-ever inductee to the Hall of Legends at The Shilla Seoul in Jung-gu, central Seoul, Thursday. “With his mastery of League of Legends, Faker inspired millions of esports fans across the globe and brought numerous contributions to the sport. We sincerely congratulate Faker for this stunning achievement and hope for great performances in the

June 7, 2024

S. Korea eyes multiple gold medals in fencing at Paris Olympics

JINCHEON -- With the Paris Olympics two months away, the South Korean national fencing team said Monday its goal is to bring home multiple gold medals. South Korea has won at least one fencing gold medal at every Olympics since 2012, with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals in Tokyo three years ago. That lone gold came from the men's team sabre event, with Gu Bon-gil, Oh Sang-uk, Kim Jung-hwan and Kim Jun-ho coming through for South Korea's third straight Olympic gold in that

May 27, 2024

S. Korean Kim Chae-yeon wins bronze at figure skating worlds

South Korean figure skater Kim Chae-yeon has captured the bronze medal at the world championships in Canada for her first career medal at the annual competition. Kim scored 203.59 points overall to finish third in the women's singles behind Kaori Sakamoto of Japan (222.96 points) and Isabeau Levito of the United States (212.16 points) at the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal on Friday (local time). Kim only ranked sixth after the short program with 6

March 23, 2024

World junior figure skating champion Seo Min-kyu trying to stay humble

South Korean teenager Seo Min-kyu shocked the figure skating world Saturday, winning the men's singles title at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Taipei in his first appearance. The 15-year-old became the first South Korean man to win a medal of any color at the world juniors, and the first South Korean skater, male or female, to win a world junior title since Kim Yu-na won the women's singles gold medal in 2006. Seo, who returned from Taipei City on Monday, insisted he

March 4, 2024

LeBron James reaches 40,000 points to extend his NBA career scoring record

LeBron James reached 40,000 points Saturday night, still going strong in his 21st NBA season as he tries to put the career scoring record out of reach. James drove past Michael Porter Jr. and hit a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets for the historic basket. “Being the first player to do something, it’s pretty cool in this league, just knowing the history, the greats that’s come through the league, and

March 3, 2024

S. Korean women lose to China in quarterfinals at table tennis worlds

The host country South Korea was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the women's tournament at the table tennis world championships Thursday, following a crushing loss to world No. 1 China. Boasting the world's top three-ranked female players, China shut down South Korea 3-0 in the quarterfinals at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan. In the team tournament, each match is made up of up to five singles matches in a best-of-five

Feb. 22, 2024

Short track World Cup champions eye more glory at world championships

Having earned their big prizes during the World Cup season, South Korean short trackers Park Ji-won and Kim Gil-li said Tuesday they will pursue more medals at the upcoming world championships. Park and Kim returned home from Poland on Tuesday, after being crowned the men's and women's overall champions for the 2023-2024 International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup Short Track Speed Skating season. They each received the Crystal Globe trophy for their effort. Park, 27, claimed his secon

Feb. 20, 2024

With swimming world title in tow, Kim Woo-min confident he can go faster

South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min has been improving his personal best times in the 400-meter freestyle at an impressive rate. The 22-year-old isn't about to stop, not with the Olympics on the horizon. Kim arrived back home Monday evening from Qatar, where he won the men's 400-meter freestyle gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships with a personal-best time of 3:42.71. He also helped South Korea capture silver in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. In the 400m freestyle, Kim s

Feb. 19, 2024

Swimming world champion Hwang Sun-woo eyes Olympic medals

One by one, South Korean swimmer Hwang Sun-woo has been crossing things off his to-do list. Next up for the freshly minted world champion in the men's 200-meter freestyle will be an Olympic medal -- or make that medals. Hwang returned home Monday after grabbing two medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar earlier this month. First, he won the 200m freestyle gold medal for his first world title and his third career medal from the competition. Then he capped it off by anchoring Sou

Feb. 19, 2024

S. Korea finishes swimming world championships with record 5 medals

South Korea has finished the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Qatar with a record five medals, nearly matching the total it had won at all previous competitions combined. With three medals from swimming and two more from diving, South Korean athletes set themselves up nicely for the Paris Olympics this summer. Prior to the Feb. 2-19 competition in Doha, South Korea had won six medals at all previous world championships. In collecting a handful of medals in Qatar, South Korean athletes also m

Feb. 19, 2024

S. Korean Kim Min-sun grabs silver at speed skating worlds

South Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun has captured her first career world championship medal with a silver in the women's 500 meters. Kim finished second in the 500m at the International Skating Union (ISU) World Speed Skating Single Distances Championships in Calgary, Canada, on Friday (local time), with a time of 37.19 seconds. Femke Kok of the Netherlands won the gold medal at 36.83 seconds. Kimi Goetz of the United States took bronze in 37.21 seconds. In addition to reaching the world p

Feb. 17, 2024

Host South Korea wins opening matches at table tennis worlds

The host South Korea notched victories in its men's and women's opening matches at the world table tennis championships Friday. In the first Group 3 match on the men's side at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Team Table Tennis Championships, South Korea beat Poland 3-1. In the women's first Group 5 match, South Korea cruised past Italy 3-0. The southeastern port city of Busan will host the competition, which will wrap up Feb. 25. In even-numbered years,

Feb. 16, 2024

Hwang Sun-woo becomes 1st S. Korean swimmer to reach 100m freestyle final at worlds

Hwang Sun-woo has advanced to the final of the men's 100-meter freestyle at the world swimming championships in Qatar, becoming the first South Korean to race for a medal in the event. Hwang finished third overall in the semifinals of the 100m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships at the Aspire Dome in Doha on Wednesday, with a time of 47.93 seconds. The top eight among 16 swimmers in the semifinals reached the final, which will begin at 1:21 a.m. Friday. Hwang earned his first care

Feb. 15, 2024

[Graphic News] Over half of Americans consider football ‘America’s sport’

Another round of football mania has swept the US, culminating in the victory of the Kansas City Chiefs over the San Francisco 49ers to win the Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 12. For decades, the Super Bowl has been America’s most-watched television program, as football remained the most popular sport since 1972. In comparison, baseball is seeing a general decline in popularity. In 1960, 34 percent of Americans said baseball was their favorite sport, compared to 21 percent for football and 9 perc

Feb. 15, 2024

Swimming sensation Hwang Sun-woo adds world title to expanding resume

At the ripe age of 20, Hwang Sun-woo has already made plenty of South Korean swimming history. He added another feather to his cap in Doha on Tuesday, as he earned the gold medal in the men's 200-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships. By touching the pad in 1:44.75, Hwang became the first South Korean swimmer to win a medal at three world championships in a row. He won silver in 2022 and bronze in 2023. Danas Rapsys of Lithuania took home the silver medal in 1:45.05, and Luke

Feb. 14, 2024

S. Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min captures world title in men's 400m freestyle

South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min has grabbed the gold medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle at the ongoing world championships in Qatar, becoming the country's world swimming champion in 13 years. Kim won his monumental gold medal with a personal-best time of 3:42.71 at Aspire Dome in Doha on Sunday (local time) at the World Aquatics Championships. Kim held off the 2022 world champion, Elijah Winnington of Australia, by 0.15 second. Lukas Martens of Germany, the bronze medalist at the

Feb. 12, 2024

Speed skater Kim Min-sun finishes 2nd in World Cup standings with silver in finale

South Korean speed skater Kim Min-sun has finished second in the World Cup standings after grabbing a silver medal in her finale in Canada. Kim finished second to Femke Kok of the Netherlands in the second of two women's 500-meter races with a time of 37.91 seconds at the International Skating Union World Cup Speed Skating at Centre de Glaces in Quebec City on Sunday (local time). Kok beat the South Korean by 0.20 second for the gold. On Saturday, it was Kim beating Kok for the gold in the

Feb. 5, 2024

4th Winter Youth Olympics celebrates growth of young athletes in closing ceremony

The fourth edition of the Winter Youth Olympics wrapped up in eastern South Korea on Thursday, as the closing ceremony marked the growth of teenage athletes during the two-week competition. Gangwon Province hosted a record 1,802 athletes from 78 nations during the first Winter Youth Games to take place outside Europe. They got to compete at many of the same facilities that held events for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games across Gangwon. Host South Korea finished with seven gold, six silver and

Feb. 1, 2024

Host S. Korea grabs 2 gold medals on final day of Winter Youth Olympics

South Korea picked up two gold medals on the final day of the Winter Youth Olympics on home soil Thursday, producing a pair of double gold medalists in the process. South Korea captured the gold medal in figure skating's team event at Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, some 160 kilometers east of Seoul, over the United States and Canada. South Korea earned 13 points, with a victory in each discipline worth five points. The U.S. had 12 points and Canada finished with nine. Kim, who won the me

Feb. 1, 2024