A first half strike from South Korean forward Park Chu-young ensured leader Lille suffered just its fourth defeat of the season as Monaco moved out of the drop zone in French league action on Saturday.Lille has lost an important tie with a view to claiming its first league title in 53 years, as it could see its lead cut to just one point should champion Marseille win at home to Toulouse on Sunday.

Tensions are growing between the management and labor of Hyundai Motor Co. over the “time-off” system. The automaker’s trade union is stepping up opposition to the new system as it would drastically cut the number of employer-paid full-time union officials.The time-off system went into effect in July last year. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, as of March this year, about 90 perc

A spate of student suicides has pushed the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, one of Korea’s top science universities in Daejeon, into a crisis it has never experienced before. In a short span of three months, four students took their own lives, shocking the school’s students and staff. The latest victim was a 19-year-old sophomore, identified by his surname Park, who jumped to hi

Choi moves into second place, four shots behind the leaderAUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) ― The birdie putt from the back of the green. The raised left arm, holding the putter high. The right fist slamming downward when the ball disappeared, followed by a cheer that rocked Augusta National.It was the defining moment for Rory McIlroy late Saturday afternoon at the Masters.And it was loud enough to rattle Tig

Exhibitions“Koo Bohnchang”: One of South Korea’s most renowned photographers, Koo Bohn-chang, is holding a solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery. Not only parts from his different series but also his personal collections of eclectic objects are on display, giving the viewers a hint of Koo’s youth, attitudes towards photography and more. The exhibition runs through April 30 at Kukje Gallery in Sogyeok-d

Wayne Rooney scored in the 24th minute to give Manchester United a 1-0 win at Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, and Barcelona routed visiting Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 Wednesday night to close in on a semifinal matchup with Real Madrid.Following his hat trick against West Ham last weekend, Rooney met Ryan Giggs’ pass in the penalty area and slotted past goalkeeper Petr Cec

Korean right fielder rips season’s first home run in winCLEVELAND (AP) ― After popping out, David Ortiz lingered at home plate and stared into the distance as if in disbelief.Yep, Big Papi, it’s true.The built-to-win Red Sox still haven’t won.One of baseball’s big spenders, the Red Sox dropped their fifth straight to open the season on Wednesday night with an 8-4 loss to the Cleveland Indians, who

Tiger no longer the betting favorite at AugustaAUGUSTA, Georgia (AP) ― On the far end of the course Wednesday, near the only palm tree at Augusta National, Lee Westwood rolled long putts across the fourth green as he practiced alone on a quiet afternoon before the Masters.Spotting two familiar faces in the crowd, he looked over with a grin and said, “Lost? Bar closed?Through the pines and dogwoods

After a long winter the F1 season has finally started. The first race in Australia was not a classic but rather a decent one. In particular, one guy was of a different league, with an astonishing 0.8 seconds difference in qualification; Sebastian Vettel conquered the pole position and won the season’s first Grand Prix. The Australian Grand Prix took place on a semi-permanent circuit in Albert Park

Busan may be Korea’s second city but, when it comes to soccer, Busan I’Park hasn’t been second for a number of years. There was a time when the club was the best in the country and even Asia. Now it is not even close to being the best in Gyeongsang Province. If that changes any time soon then the fans on the south coast may have the A-League to thank. Australia’s domestic competition now has five

Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam urged fellow Asian members Tuesday to pull together and help his campaign for the FIFA presidency.Bin Hammam, who chairs the Asian Football Confederation, is seeking to oust the long-time FIFA President Sepp Blatter.FIFA, the world’s football governing body, confirmed Monday that the current president Blatter of Swiss and Qatari challenger Bin Hammam are the

Korea’s veteran golfers seek strong finish at the MastersTwo South Korean veteran golfers at the Masters Tournament here this week said that they’re eyeing a high finish at the season’s first major championship.After finishing nine holes of practice at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, Yang Yong-eun said he is seeking a “top-10” finish.“The wind was blowing hard today and I was just checking

The new baseball season began with good momentum over the weekend with completely full stadiums in its opening games. The Korea Baseball Organization drew a record 5.92 million spectators last season, and this year, marking the 30th anniversary of the league’s launch, it has set a new target of 6 million fans. The start was good. In Jamsil, where the Doosan Bears squared off with their Seoul rival

LONDON (AP) ― Manchester City thrashed Sunderland 5-0 to strengthen its chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League, and Fulham eased its relegation fears with a convincing 3-0 win over Blackpool on Sunday.City had five different scorers in Adam Johnson, Carlos Tevez, David Silva, Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure as the rampant hosts threw off the shackles to move into third place in the table

There will be no rest for the weary in Asian football this week, as four clubs from South Korea’s K-League will be back in action in the ongoing Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, just days after their regular-season games.The third group matches for the K-League clubs will have a decidedly Japanese flavor. On Tuesday, Jeju United of Group E will host Gamba Osaka of Japan’s J-Lea

The top Asian soccer official in the running for the FIFA presidency will visit Seoul this week to seek South Korean support for his race, football officials here said Monday.Mohammed Bin Hammam, president of the Asian Football Confederation, will arrive in Seoul later Monday and hold meetings with top South Korean football figures on Tuesday. Mohammed Bin HammamOfficials here said Bin Hammam, a Q

HUMBLE, Texas (AP) ― Phil Mickelson feels pretty confident about his game heading into the Masters.The defending champion at Augusta outdueled Scott Verplank on Sunday to win the Houston Open by three shots, his first victory since earning his third green jacket last April.And it comes with a notable distinction.The win moved Mickelson’s world ranking to No. 3, while Tiger Woods dropped to No. 7.

Sporting Gijon surprise Real Madrid 1-0LONDON (AP) ― Wayne Rooney’s hat trick kept Manchester United on track to win the English Premier League with a 4-2 comeback victory over West Ham on Saturday, while the title hopes of Arsenal and defending champion Chelsea were hurt by draws.Second-place Arsenal drew 0-0 with visiting Blackburn and Chelsea, in third, needed a 33rd-minute header by Didier Dro

HOUSTON (AP) ― The lovable underdog label is long gone. Now Butler is determined to drop that “first loser” tag, too.Shelvin Mack scored 24 points and Zach Hahn came up big off the bench, ending the warm-and-fuzzy story of this year’s tournament with a 70-62 victory over VCU in the Final Four on Saturday night. The victory sends Butler to the national title game for a second straight year and mark

Exhibitions“The Exhibition of the Great Portraitist’s Work ― KARSH”: About 100 photographs by the great photographer Yousuf Karsh is on display at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Among its three sections ― “Landscape,” “Portraits,” “Hands” ― the “Portraits” division is notable. Visitors can meet many portrait photos of the famous people from the 20th century, including Audrey Hepburn, Chris