Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Chuseok offers sporting highlights
By Jung Min-ho
For sports fans, there is an extra perk for the three-day Chuseok break other than family get-togethers and a big spread on the table: plenty of sporting action.
As the Samsung Lions have solidified their lead atop the KBO table with 4.5 game lead, attention is increasingly drawn to which teams will take the remaining three playoff spots. With less than 10 games left, the competition between the SK Wyverns, Doosan Bears and Lotte Giants is expected to reach its conclusion over the holidays.
Current runners-up SK will take on the Kia Tigers on Saturday, with a four game advantage over the Bears, who take on the LG Twins. The Wyverns have won 8 out of their last 10 outings. The Giants, just 0.5 game behind Doosan in fourth will seek to bounce back from only one win in the past ten games as of Friday morning. They will meet the fifth-placed Tigers on Sunday, when the Bears play the LG Twins. Then on Monday all the teams are in action, with matches starting at 5 p.m. on all three days.
Three Korean football stars will be involved for their teams in various European leagues. In Germany, Hamburg forward Son Heung-min will seek a fourth goal of the season against Hannover 96 at 10:30 p.m. (KST) Saturday. A day later, Celta Vigo striker Park Chu-young will travel to Granada in Spain’s La Liga for a 7 p.m. kickoff. Queens Park Rangers captain Park Ji-sung will wrap up the holiday in the English Premier League as they host West Ham United at 4 a.m. on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the 2012 Chuseok Ssireum Wrestling Championship will take place at Sangju, North Gyeongsang Province, during the three-day break. For golf fans, the 2012 Ryder Cup between the Team USA and Europe is another eye-catching event, running from Sept. 28 to 30.