Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors had just taken a 1-0 lead over FC Seoul in the 75th minute of their K League 1 season opener Saturday. Naturally, two minutes later, Jeonbuk's starting goalkeeper Song Bum-keun was replaced. So, what happened there? Jeonbuk head coach Kim Sang-sik sent in a 19-year-old goalkeeper Kim Jeong-hoon to tend the net for the final stretch. Fortunately for Jeonbuk, nothing disastrous happened in the teenager's K League debut, and Mo Barrow scored a late insurance goal to seal a

A bitter court battle is potentially on the horizon for the South Korean football star Ki Sung-yueng against his two former teammates accusing him of sexual and physical assault, following an about-face by the lawyer representing the two on Tuesday. Ki, midfielder for FC Seoul in the K League 1, has repeatedly denied those assault charges, first levied against him by two elementary school teammates last Wednesday. They claimed that Ki ordered them to perform sexual acts on him and beat them up

Four-time reigning champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors launched their South Korean football title defense with a victory on Saturday. Jeonbuk edged out FC Seoul 2-0 to kick open the K League 1 season at Jeonju World Cup Stadium in Jeonju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul. FC Seoul defender Kim Won-gun headed in an own goal in the 75th minute, and Jeonbuk winger Mo Barrow rounded out the scoring with an injury-time goal. Jeonbuk's new bench boss Kim Sang-sik won his head coaching debut. The former t

South Korean football star Ki Sung-yueng took to social media on Thursday to once again deny allegations of sexual and physical assault on elementary school teammates. Ki, midfielder for FC Seoul in the K League 1, posted an Instagram message in response to claims put forward on Wednesday by two alleged victims of Ki's misconduct. In a press release by their attorney, the two charged that Ki forced them to perform sexual acts on him between January and June in 2000 and beat them up when they di

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min has scored his 18th goal of 2020-2021 while setting a new career high in combined goals and assists for a season. Son opened the scoring for the Spurs in their 4-1 victory over the Austrian side Wolfsberger AC 4-1 in Budapest on Thursday (local time) in the first leg of the round of 32 at the UEFA Europa League. Son's header, set up by Gareth Bale, came in the 13th minute. The second leg is scheduled for next Thursday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. S

Son Heung-min has ended his five-match Premier League scoring drought, while helping Tottenham Hotspur end their losing streak at three matches in the process. Son netted his 13th goal in the league -- 17th in all competitions -- in Tottenham's 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Sunday. Son's last goal in any match had come in a League Cup match against Brentford on Jan. 5. Harry Kane, Son's favorite partner in crime who had been sidelined with an

South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai FC have lost their opening match of the FIFA Club World in Qatar to fall to a consolation game. Ulsan lost to Tigres UANL of Mexico 2-1 at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan, just west of Doha, on Thursday to kick off the 17th edition of the FIFA tournament. French striker Andre-Pierre Gignac scored twice for Tigres, while Kim Kee-hee had the lone goal for Ulsan in the first half. The Club World Cup brings together continental champions each year, plus the domestic

The South Korean football club Ulsan Hyundai FC departed for Qatar on Friday to represent Asia at an annual FIFA tournament. Ulsan will compete at the Feb. 4-11 FIFA Club World Cup in Qatar against champions of other continental tournaments. The K League 1 club booked their spot by winning the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League last month, also in Qatar. The FIFA tournament had been set for December but was pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ulsan will face Tigres U

With his South Korean national team set to face China in Olympic women's football qualifying playoff next month, head coach Colin Bell isn't daunted by past results or the air of uncertainty surrounding the competition. South Korea, dubbed the Taeguk Ladies, have lost 27 times against China in 37 previous meetings. Their most recent victory came more than five years ago. These two countries will meet on Feb. 19 and then again on Feb. 25, with the aggregate score determining who will compete at

South Korean football icon Park Ji-sung will join the domestic club champions Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors as an adviser, hoping his knowledge of European football will keep the juggernauts at the top. Jeonbuk, the four-time reigning K League 1 title holders, announced Tuesday that Park, former national team captain, will work with them on a part-time basis while splitting his time in South Korea and Britain. Jeonbuk said Park will be advising in areas ranging from draft to player development, scout

When the South Korean football legend Hong Myung-bo met with his full squad for the first time as coach of Ulsan Hyundai FC on Monday, he didn't wax poetic on some trendy, modern strategies or formations. Instead, Hong placed his focus on the mental part of the game. "I spoke to the players about our three pillars for the upcoming season. They are: accountability, right attitude and happiness," Hong told reporters after his meeting with the players at the team's clubhouse in Ulsan, 4

He has done it again. Son Heung-min scored in his second straight match, lifting Tottenham Hotspur into the English League Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Brentford on Tuesday (local time). After Moussa Sissoko opened the scoring in the 12th minute at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Son doubled the lead with his 70th-minute strike against the second-division club. Tottenham will face the winner of the other semifinal match between Manchester United and Manchester City. The championship

FC Seoul finished in a disappointing ninth place among 12 clubs in the K League 1 in 2020, just a year after ranking in third place. And their new head coach, Park Jin-sup, is determined to take them back to the upper echelon, because that's where he thinks FC Seoul belong. "I think that is where we're supposed to be," Park told reporters Monday, before opening offseason camp at GS Champions Park, the club's training facility in Guri, just east of Seoul. "We have some veterans a

Son Heung-min has scored his 100th goal as a member of Tottenham Hotspur. The South Korean star reached the century mark in a 3-0 victory over Leeds United in a Premier League match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on Saturday. The victory lifted Tottenham from seventh to third place in the league tables with 29 points. It was Tottenham's first win in five matches. Son's 43rd-minute goal, set up by Harry Kane, gave Tottenham a 2-0 lead. Son set up the third goal with a corner headed hom

CHUNCHEON -- Former World Cup star Lee Young-pyo will embark on a new career as an administrator. Gangwon FC of the K League 1 announced Tuesday that Lee, 43, will be their new CEO. He was nominated for the position on Dec. 8, and his candidacy was approved at a board meeting on Tuesday in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, 85 kilometers east of Seoul. Lee, a Gangwon native, was an integral member of the South Korean team that made a stunning run to the semifinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The for