The Korea Times

How the ball stayed in the park

KBO remains fish in the puddle Shane YoumanKim Tae-kyunBy Jung Min-hoComing off its greatest season ever in attendance, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has so far found 2013 to be a letdown. It took 255 games to break the 4 million mark in ticket sales last year, but nearly a 100 more games this year.The growth of the domestic league in past years had been fueled by Korea’s impressive showing in international events like the Olympics and World Baseball Classics (WBCs), which convinced fans they were paying to watch a world-class product. So Korea’s listless exit in the recent WBC in March subdued the excitement for the new KBO season to a certain extent.It could also be said that some of the damage to the league’s attractiveness has been self-inflicted. Its teams and players continue to make headlines for all the wrong reasons.There were players suspended for drunk-driving, umpires demoted for blown calls, a player dumping water on an on-field reporter and facing the wrath of Twitterverse. And of course there was Kim Tae-kyun, the beefy Hanwha Eagles slugger a

Aug 1, 2013By Jung Min-ho

South Korea

Iraq gov't will help Korea's fraud probe

By Jung Min-ho Khalil Al-MosawiIraqi AmbassadorThe Iraqi government will cooperate with Korean prosecutors in their investigation of UI Energy CEO Choi Kyu-sun, accused of embezzling $41 million from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, according to the country’s ambassador.“We will provide our utmost assistance for the investigation to satisfy the Korean government and Korean prosecutors,” Iraqi Ambassador to Korea Khalil Al-Mosawi told The Korea Times Monday.Previously, the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s office said that it contacted the Department of Foreign Relations at the KRG over a seven month period from November last year but did not receive a response.Choi is charged with embezzling the money on July 21, but has not been detained because prosecutors had difficulties collecting enough evidence outside of Korea’s jurisdiction.This gave rise to speculation that high-ranking officials in the KRG are protecting Choi because the KRG has not responded to requests from prosecutors.Al-Mosawi said neither he nor his federal

Jul 29, 2013By Jung Min-ho

Iraq gov't will help Korea's fraud probe

Sports

Korea lose to Japan 2-1

The Korean men's national football team players react after losing to Japan 2-1 in the East Asian Cup at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, Sunday. / Yonhap By Jung Min-hoYoichiro Kakitani’s goal in the dying seconds gave the Korean men’s national football team a 2-1 loss to Japan at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, Sunday.After failing to score in the past two games against Australia and China in the East Asian Cup, midfielder Yun Il-lok finally found the net for new manager Hong Myung-bo, but failed to outperform the clever striker with finishing ability.Korea wasted too many good chances, including 11 corner kicks, in front of the goalkeeper, while the Japanese offense barely had chances to reach Korea’s penalty box.It was Kakitani’s ability to get a high-percentage shot that determined the winner.Japan won the title with seven points, two ahead of China. In an earlier match against Australia, China won 4-3 to improve to five points.Korea ended the tournament on third with one loss and two draws, while Australia finished with a draw and two losses.“It is not a goo

Jul 28, 2013By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Ryu dominant as Dodgers beat Reds

Los Angeles Dodgers starter Ryu Hyun-Jin, right, and Cincinnati Reds outfielder Choo Shin-soo shake hands after their game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Saturday. Dodgers won 4-1. / YonhapRyu earns 9th win over duel against compatriot ChooBy Jung Min-hoThe Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin allowed just one run on two hits in his seven innings to earn his ninth major league win against the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 at Dodger Stadium Saturday.In the highly anticipated Korean batter-pitcher duel - first in three years - against compatriot Choo Shin-soo, the 26-year-old southpaw (9-3) showed no hesitation and held him to no hit in three at bat, while Skip Schumaker hit a tiebreaking two-run homer to seal the deal.“Hyun-jin ruled the match,” Choo told reporters. “Real games are often different from the ones on screen. Today’s Hyun-jin was just like that. His pitching was better than the video I saw, and his ball speed was well-managed.”In front of 52,675 fans at the stadium, Ryu had nine strikeouts and lowered his 3.25 ERA to 3.14. It is his mos

Jul 28, 2013By Jung Min-ho

Shows & Dramas

Some celebs learn SNS the hard way

Baik Min-jungKi Sung-yeungBy Jung Min-hoCelebrities use social media as effective marketing tools for maintaining their high media profiles. But it only takes a few careless mistakes on Facebook and Twitter for such sites to become the places where careers can crash and burn.Football star Ki Sung-yeung and actor Choi Phillip recently learned the hard way that it’s probably not a good idea to rant at your coach on Facebook or broadcast supportive tweets about your pop singer friends caught slacking off from their mandatory military duty.Two actresses also didn’t get the message early enough and ended up taking a hit to their incomes and perhaps an even bigger hit to their career prospects.Baik Min-jung, part of the cast from the popular musical ``A Tale of Two Cities,’’ found herself under the guillotine of public opinion after she complained about signing autographs for fans on her Facebook page. And then co-star Lim Hye-young was foolish enough to press the ``like’’ button.``I hate autograph events. I don’t want to smile and ask `how was the

Jul 25, 2013By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Korea top medal haul at Taekwondo Worlds

Lee Dae-hoon of Korea, left, and Abel Mendoza of Mexico exchange kicks during the men’s under-63-kilogram final match at the World Taekwondo Championships in Puebla, Mexico, Friday. / Korea TimesBy Jung Min-hoPUEBLA, Mexico — Koreans took two gold medals with dominant performances on the sixth day of the World Taekwondo Championships at the jam-packed Centro Expositor Sunday.Kim So-hee, 20, won the women’s under-57-kilogram event against Japan’s Mayu Hamada 15-4, while Lee Dae-hoon, 21, topped the men’s under-63-kilogram one against Mexico’s Abel Mendoza 16-8.The results secured the top position for Korea with six gold, two silver and one bronze medal, followed by Cuba with two golds and three bronzes, and Mexico with one gold and one bronze.“It feels like a dream,” Kim told reporters. “The faces of my parents first came to my mind after my win was announced.”It was Kim’s first gold at an international competition after failing to top the podium at the Asian Championships, Student World Championships last year and Univ

Jul 21, 2013By Jung Min-ho

Korea top medal haul at Taekwondo Worlds

Sports

Taekwondo veteran Lee cherishes her new silver

Lee In-jong smiles during an interview with The Korea Times. / Korea TimesBy Jung Min-hoPUEBLA, Mexico — Lee In-jong won a silver medal at the World Taekwondo Championships after losing to Glenhis Hernandez of Cuba in the women’s under-73-kilogram final Saturday.In a sport where anything less than gold is considered to be a letdown for a Korean, Lee described winning the silver as the “happiest moment” of her life.This wasn’t the typical reaction of an athlete who, up 1-0, was 10 seconds away from winning the gold. But the resilient Hernandez was able to connect on two kicks within that short span to complete a dramatic 5-1 comeback win.It was a devastating loss for Lee, her third world championships silver in a career still in search of a first gold. But instead of showing tears, she was smiling like a Cheshire cat. The oldest member of Korea’s national team in Puebla at the age of 30, she talked about seeing the bigger picture beyond the color of the hardware.“I never prayed particularly for the gold ... there are bound to be winners and lo

Jul 21, 2013By Jung Min-ho

Taekwondo veteran Lee cherishes her new silver

Sports

Taekwondo as `hallyu' sport

By Jung Min-ho Kim Tae-hyungPUEBLA, Mexico — Kim Tae-hyung, a pop singer-turned-music executive, argues that taekwondo has the potential to extend “hallyu,” or the growing trend for the consumption of Korean cultural exports in recent years.But this would depend on whether the martial art can change enough to pass the coolness test of international youngsters.Kim is a former member of the boy band Sobangcha, that was one of the most popular acts in the Korean music scene in the 1980s and 90s, and currently the president of entertainment agency Music Factor.A famous taekwondo enthusiast, he is in Puebla serving as the director of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF)’s demonstration team.“Taekwondo’s popularity can continue to grow on the solid foundation it has built for decades; there are taekwondo schools, clubs and practitioners around the world. The infrastructure has been perfectly set. Now it’s time to figure out if taekwondo has potential as cultural content, not just a combat sport,” said Kim, who orchestrated the event&rsqu

Jul 18, 2013By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Kim Hun wins silver at Taekwondo Worlds

Korea’s Kim Hoon, right, and Iran’s Behnam Asbaghikhanghah exchange kicks during the men’s under-68-kilogram final match at the World Taekwondo Championships in Puebla, Mexico, Thursday. / Korea TimesBy Jung Min-ho PUEBLA, Mexico – Kim Hun, 21, won a silver medal in the men’s under-68-kilogram category after a bitter loss at the final match against Behnam Asbaghikhanghah of Iran at the World Taekwondo Championships Thursday.The 2011 Summer Universiade champion struggled to break the Iranian’s tight defense but fell to a 4-5 defeat at the Centro Expositor.Kim’s last left kick grazed Asbaghikhanghah’s body just before the final whistle, but it was disallowed. Kim hit the mat with his hands and burst into tears after the match.“The result is very disappointing. I put so much effort into this event,” Kim told reporters.Kim got off to a shaky start by losing the first point to Asbaghikhanghah out of the gate. Kim’s round kick soon equalized the score, but Asbaghikhanghah went ahead to finish the first round 2-1.Kim att

Jul 18, 2013By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Taekwondo legend takes 'desk job'

By Jung Min-ho Jung Kook-hyun, an executive committee member of the World Taekwondo Federation, poses during an interview with The Korea Times at the Centro Expositor in downtown Puebla, Mexico, Tuesday. / Korea TimesPUEBLA, Mexico ― It seems that a career in coaching is the most popular option for elite athletes such as Olympians and world champions after they retire. But this often leaves people with little or no experience in athletic competitions making important decisions for athletes in sports governing bodies.This was something that always nagged away at Jung Kook-hyun, perhaps the best taekwondo fighter that Korea has every produced, now beginning his role as a sports administrator after being elected Monday as an executive committee member of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF).The 51-year-old Jung is a legendary figure in Korean sports, the winner of four World Taekwondo Championships in the 1980s and credited as an athlete who perfected the spinning kick, the most important skill in the sport.As a sports administrator, Jung believes his athletic experience will

Jul 17, 2013By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

How the ball stayed in the park

Iraq gov't will help Korea's fraud probe

Korea lose to Japan 2-1

Ryu dominant as Dodgers beat Reds

Some celebs learn SNS the hard way

Korea top medal haul at Taekwondo Worlds

Taekwondo veteran Lee cherishes her new silver

Taekwondo as `hallyu' sport

Kim Hun wins silver at Taekwondo Worlds

Taekwondo legend takes 'desk job'

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