Clash with star player gets head coach sacked in seemingly unacceptable end for a Korean sports saga

The southeastern metropolitan city of Busan will host the world table tennis championships in 2024 -- four years after losing the competition to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) announced Busan as the host of the 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships during its annual general meeting in Houston, Texas, on Wednesday (local time). Houston is currently staging the world championships with individual events -- singles, doubles and mixed doubles. I

South Korean short track speed skaters will compete in the last event with Olympic quota places at stake in the Netherlands this week, amid trouble off the ice and continued underperformance on it. The fourth and final International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup of the season will open in the Dutch city of Dordrecht on Thursday morning (local time), or Friday afternoon in Seoul. The first two days will feature qualifying races, while medals will be won over Saturday and Sunday. Based on their

South Korea will miss the women's hockey tournament at the 2022 Winter Olympics, four years after competing as a host as a historic unified team with North Korea. South Korea dropped all three games of the final qualifying tournament that wrapped up in Sweden on Sunday (local time). The latest blow came in the form of a 7-1 loss to Slovakia at Coop Norrbotten Arena in Lulea, northern Sweden. South Korea had earlier lost to France 4-0 and to Sweden 15-0. At No. 17, South Korea was the lowest-r

Universities sign support letters for Chungcheong region in efforts to host 2027 World University Games

South Korea's national short track speed skating team has lost a top skater to injuries in the middle of the International Skating Union (ISU) World Cup season, adding to woes from a recent race-fixing scandal. Choi Min-jeong was hurt in separate collisions during the opening World Cup competition in Beijing on Saturday. She is expected to miss at least the next competition in Japan starting Thursday with knee and ankle injuries. In the women's 1,500m final, Kim Ji-yoo tried to cut inside Choi

As the 2021 LPGA season winds down, Korean American player Danielle Kang finds herself in one city where she wants to win a tournament more than anywhere else. Kang is one of 84 players set to compete at the BMW Ladies Championship in Busan, a coastal city 453 kilometers southeast of Seoul, starting Thursday. The 72-hole event is the only LPGA tournament taking place in South Korea this season. Busan is also the hometown of Kang's late father. She was born in San Francisco but spent her early

The next South Korean LPGA victory will be the 200th win by a player from this country. And the milestone title could very well come this week on a South Korean course. The BMW Ladies Championship will tee off Thursday at the LPGA International Busan in Busan, 450 kilometers southeast of Seoul. It will be the only LPGA tournament to take place in South Korea this year, and also the lone Asian stop during what would normally have been the LPGA's annual swing through the continent. The tourname

South Korean Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk-hee has been dropped from the national team, the sport’s national federation said Monday, over controversial text messages suggesting a possible race fixing during the 2018 Winter Games on home ice. The Korea Skating Union (KSU) said Shim has been “separated from” the rest of the national team at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, 90 kilometers south of Seoul, after the athletes, including Shim h

Hosting 2027 WUG would mark Korea’s 4th Universiade

  Kwon Soon-woo claimed his maiden ATP Tour title at the Astana Open on Sunday, becoming the first South Korean champion on the world's top tennis circuit in more than 18 years. Kwon, world No. 82, defeated the 65th-ranked James Duckworth in straight sets, 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 in Nur-Sultan. The last Korean to take an ATP title is the retired Lee Hyung-taik from January 2003. Kwon and Lee are now the only two South Koreans to win a regular ATP Tour event. "I am just really, really happy

Since its debut at the Tokyo Olympics, the popularity of surfing has been on the rise around the world. On Sept. 14, surfers competed at the finals of the Rip Curl World Surfing League, one of the world‘s largest surfing events. The championship was held at Trestles Beach in California, a top surf destination. Trestles Beach is well known for its dynamic waves and ideal wind conditions.  Gabriel Medina, a surfer who won the 2014 and 2018 championships, defeated Filipe Toledo, after

The reigning South Korean men's volleyball MVP Jung Ji-seok is under police investigation for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend, sources said Thursday. According to the sources, Jung, a star outside hitter for the Korean Air Jumbos in the V-League, was recently questioned by police on charges of assaulting his ex-girlfriend and installing a hidden camera in the home the two share. The sources said the girlfriend recently reported Jung's alleged assault to police. A woman who claimed to be

Defending champion Damwon Kia took home the LCK trophy, beating T1 3-1 in the finals on Saturday evening and winning prize money of 200 million won ($171,800). Although Damwon was the clear favorite leading up to the finals, strong performances from both teams in their quarterfinals raised expectations for a competitive match. Damwon clearly dominated the game, however. Despite T1’s comeback on the third game, Damwon took down the challenger in a convincing 3-1 victory. Damwon&rsqu

A Canadian coach who guided the South Korean women's curling team to a silver medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics will return to the post to seek another medal at the upcoming Beijing Winter Games. The Korea Curling Federation said Saturday that three coaches will lead the country's national team for the 2021-2022 season. Peter Gallant from Canada was named the coach of the women's national curling team, better known by its nickname Team Kim, comprised of skip Kim Eun-jung, lead Kim Yeon