KBO club's new manager trying to lay groundwork for long-term success

INCHEON -- Taking over a franchise trying to get out of the abyss in South Korean baseball, new Hanwha Eagles manager Choi Won-ho said Friday he will look to lay the foundation for success for the longer term, if not this year. In an abrupt announcement that caught many in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) by surprise Thursday night, Choi was named successor to Carlos Subero, who was sacked 31 games into the final season of his three-year contract. Choi, who had been the Eagles' minor

BaseballMay 12, 2023

By making managerial change, Hanwha Eagles shift focus from process to results

In the end, the Hanwha Eagles ran out of patience. After finishing in last place in the Korea Baseball Organization in three straight seasons, including the past two campaigns under Venezuelan manager Carlos Subero, the Eagles decided it was time to stop rebuilding and start winning. The front office made some big free agent acquisitions in the offseason, including star outfielder Chae Eun-seong, but it felt Subero, with his constant lineup tinkering, wasn't quite following the organization

BaseballMay 12, 2023

Slugging catcher hoping to live up to big contract

When veteran catcher Park Dong-won signed with the LG Twins as a free agent last November, he kept thinking about one particular thing. "I didn't want to hear Twins fans say, 'We shouldn't have signed this guy,'" Park said Tuesday, after helping the Twins rally for a 5-4 victory over the Kiwoom Heroes with a game-tying, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. With the kind of season Park has put together so far, he wo

BaseballMay 10, 2023

K League opposed to holding Napoli-Mallorca exhibition on matchday

The South Korean professional football league said Wednesday it is opposed to holding a summer exhibition between the Italian champions Napoli and Spanish side RCD Mallorca on the same June matchday for its own clubs. Organizers for the two-match series between Napoli, featuring South Korean defender Kim Min-jae, and Mallorca, with South Korean midfielder Lee Kang-in in the fold, had said Tuesday that they were looking to play the first game on June 8 in Seoul and the second one on June 10 in Go

SoccerMay 10, 2023

Little-used outfielder goes from goat to hero in dramatic win

With the winning run standing 90 feet away in the bottom of the 10th inning, LG Twins outfielder Shin Min-jae walked up to the plate for only the fourth time this season Tuesday night. The only thing on the mind of the little-used backup was to put his bat on the ball. And he did exactly that with his infield single to second base, which cashed in the decisive run in the Twins' 5-4 victory over the Kiwoom Heroes. It was the Twins' fourth consecutive win in the Korea Baseball Organizati

BaseballMay 9, 2023

Catcher-turned-pitcher wins KBO's top player award for April

Na Gyun-an, a former catcher now leading the starting rotation for the biggest early surprise in South Korean baseball, has been voted the league's top player for April. The Korea Baseball Organization announced Tuesday that Na, the right-handed ace for the Lotte Giants, is the Player of the Month for April. The 25-year-old went 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA in five starts in April. He tied for the league lead in wins and ranked fourth in ERA last month, as the Giants, to the surprise of many, wrappe

BaseballMay 9, 2023

Kia Tigers fill GM vacancy with ex-player Shim Jae-hak

The Kia Tigers announced Monday they have hired former All-Star Shim Jae-hak as their new general manager. Shim, 50, is replacing Jang Jung-suk, who was fired in March for allegedly asking a free agent player for a kickback during contract negotiations in the last offseason. Shim played for four different clubs in the Korea Baseball Organization from 1995 to 2008, and spent his final five seasons with the Tigers. He previously served on the coaching staff for the Kiwoom Heroes and worked as a ca

BaseballMay 8, 2023

Seoul to host MLB season-opening games in 2024: report

South Korea will likely host Major League Baseball regular season games for the first time at the start of the 2024 season, a US report claimed on Sunday, with a familiar face returning to his old stomping ground for the historic occasion. Citing sources, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the two-game series between the San Diego Padres, featuring South Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong, and the Los Angeles Dodgers to be played in Seoul in late March 2024 is in the works. If finalized, these

GolfMay 8, 2023

Landers reach 20-win plateau first in 2nd straight KBO season

By winning their fifth consecutive game on Sunday, the SSG Landers became the first team in South Korean baseball to reach the 20-win mark in 2023. That may seem to be an insignificant milestone in a 144-game season, but beating everyone to that mark has often translated into postseason success for teams. The Landers edged out the Kiwoom Heroes 7-6 in 11 innings to improve to 20-10 for the season. It was their fifth consecutive win, putting them two games ahead of the Lotte Giants (15-9) in firs

GolfMay 8, 2023

S. Korea salvages 2 wins to close out International Crown

With its fate long sealed, South Korea salvaged two wins against Japan on its final day at the International Crown, the biennial LPGA match play competition. In Day 3 of the four-ball play, Choi Hye-jin and Chun In-gee teamed up to defeat Nasa Hataoka and Ayaka Furue 3 & 1 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco on Saturday. Ko Jin-young and Kim Hyo-joo, the other South Korean team in action, held off Yuka Saso and Hinako Shibuno 3 & 2. South Korea, the defending International Crown champio

GolfMay 7, 2023

Defending champion S. Korea eliminated early in International Crown

South Korea will not get to defend its title at the International Crown, the biennial LPGA match play competition. For the second straight day, South Korea lost both of its matches in the team competition at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco on Friday. In four-ball play in Pool B, Ko Jin-young and Kim Hyo-joo lost 3 & 2 to Patty Tavatanakit and Atthaya Thitikul of Thailand. Choi Hye-jin and Chun In-gee fell 2 & 1 against the sisters Ariya Jutanugarn and Moriya Jutanugarn. With a 0-4-0 re

GolfMay 6, 2023

Napoli, Kim Min-jae clinch Italian football title

Featuring South Korean defender Kim Min-jae, Napoli have captured their first Italian football title in 33 years. Napoli secured the one point they needed for the Serie A crown with a 1-1 draw against Udinese at Dacia Arena in Udine, Italy, on Thursday. By improving to 80 points on 25 wins, five draws and three losses, Napoli extended their lead over second-place Lazio to 16 points and clinched the top spot in the Italian competition with five matches to spare. Kim, a rock of a center back, play

SoccerMay 5, 2023

SSG Landers sign new pitcher Roenis Elias

The defending South Korean baseball champions SSG Landers announced their signing of former major league pitcher Roenis Elias on Thursday. The acquisition comes less than 24 hours after Landers manager Kim Won-hyong acknowledged that the club was close to signing the former major league pitcher from Cuba. Elias, 34, will make $540,000 for the rest of this Korea Baseball Organization season. He is replacing Enny Romero, who never pitched for the Landers, preseason or regular season, due to should

BaseballMay 4, 2023

S. Korean LPGA star thinks team 'can win again' at International Crown

The highest-ranked female golfer from South Korea believes the country "can win again" at this week's LPGA match play competition. South Korea is the defending champion at the International Crown, whose fourth edition will tee off at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco on Thursday. At the pre-competition press conference on the eve of the event, Ko Jin-young, world No. 3 and one of four South Korean players in the field, said she likes her team's chances of repeating. "Def

GolfMay 4, 2023

Veteran reliever gets groove back in 1st career start

Following his first professional start, Samsung Lions reliever Oh Seung-hwan has come away feeling better about himself. After making 979 relief appearances in three leagues -- Korea Baseball Organization, Nippon Professional Baseball and Major League Baseball -- since his debut in 2005, Oh started a game for the first time at age 40 against the Kiwoom Heroes on Wednesday at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu. Lions pitching coach Jong Hyun-wook had talked Oh into startin

BaseballMay 4, 2023

[Graphic News] Son Heung-min achieves double-digit goals for 7 seasons

  Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean star, Son Heung-min, reached double-digit goal figures for his seventh consecutive season in the Premier League when he scored his 10th goal of the 2022-2023 season in the 77th minute of Tottenham’s 4-3 loss to Liverpool on April 30. Since the 2016-2017 season, Son has kept his performance consistent, including his Golden Boot-winning 2021-2022 season with a career best of 23 goals. Son is the only Asian to have won the Golden Boot in Premier

SoccerMay 4, 2023

Football chief names new executives in hopes of improving communication

Beleaguered South Korean football chief Chung Mong-gyu introduced new executives for the sport's national federation Wednesday, with an aim to improve communication. Chung, head of the Korea Football Association, made the personnel changes in the aftermath of the organization's ill-advised attempt to reinstate former players, coaches and referees suspended for misconduct, including match fixing. At a press conference at the KFA House in Seoul, Chung attributed problems from the controv

SoccerMay 3, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] After the summit: Back on track

To the great relief of both countries, the 2023 summit meeting between South Korea and the US turned out to be a remarkable success in many respects. The atmosphere was indeed congenial, based firmly on the mutual trust and companionship of fellow travelers on the challenging path to defend democracy against the threat of autocracy. The foreign press, too, favorably reported on the success of the summit. One of the highlights was President Yoon’s surprise song during the welcoming banquet

Olympic GamesMay 3, 2023

Struggling reliever Oh Seung-hwan to make 1st career start this week

For the first time in his illustrious career as a reliever, Samsung Lions right-hander Oh Seung-hwan will start a game this week, his manager said Tuesday, as desperate times called for desperate measures. To help the struggling 40-year-old return to form, Lions manager Park Jin-man has decided to give Oh the ball to start Wednesday's game against the Kiwoom Heroes at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, some 235 kilometers southeast of Seoul. "Oh Seung-hwan has been talking to pitching

BaseballMay 2, 2023

S. Korea goes for 2nd straight title at LPGA match play competition

Led by a resurgent star, South Korea will chase its second consecutive title at an LPGA team match play competition this week in San Francisco. South Korea will be the No. 2 seed at the eight-country International Crown, scheduled to tee off Thursday at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco. This is the fourth edition of the International Crown. The $2 million biennial competition began in 2014, with Spain being crowned the inaugural champion. The United States won the next event in 2016, and South

GolfMay 2, 2023