The Korea Times

Park Ji-sung, QPR seek first win

By Jung Min-ho With his new team winless in their first five games, Queens Park Rangers captain Park Ji-sung needs to figure out how to spark a victory. Starting with an opening day loss against Swansea City on Aug. 18, QPR are 19th in the table having earned just two points. A first win of the season seemed in reach when Bobby Zamora scored the opener in Sunday’s match against Tottenham but the lack of a winning mentality and ineffective passing saw the Hoops fall to a bitter 2-1 loss. Although the 31-year-old expressed confidence on the club’s official website saying “We deserved to win and were the better side,” the London club still has some issues to address. First of all, the offensive pattern is monotonous with a lack of diverse firepower. Zamora has proved his scoring ability, netting all three goals for the club so far, but QPR need their other forwards, including Djibril Cisse and Andrew Johnson, to contribute more to the front line. The team is averaging just 10.8 shooting attempts per game. A more serious problem lies in a defense that has already leaked 11

Sep 25, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Paralympic chief delegate stands firm against violence

By Jung Min-ho Korea’s 2012 London Paralympic chief delegate said Thursday that the Korea Sports Association for the Disabled will not condone violence, referring to a recent controversy over a Paralympic athlete who accused his coach of physical abuse. “The allegation is now under investigation,” Jang Choon-bae said during an interview. “We do not know what really happened yet. However, if the accusation turns out to be true, we will take the strongest disciplinary action possible.” Last week, Ji Kwang-min, captain of the national Boccia team, alleged Kim Jin-han abused him during the Paralympics as well as before the event, saying the coach also took money from him for training sessions. Jang said the degree of violence may not have been extreme as Ji and Kim have known each other as teacher and student since the Boccia player was in high school, but it still cannot be tolerated, noting the pair looked friendly in London. “Maybe the bad result at the Paralympics was the cause of the problem,” said the 57-year-old. “No matter what, we will not condone violence a

Sep 24, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Strong opposition for disclosing players' salary

By Jung Min-ho The K-League plans to disclose players’ annual salaries may not come into effect next season as it has run into opposition from some clubs. “The K-League insists that the overall personnel expenses will be reduced if the players’ annual salaries are revealed. But we believe the result is most likely to be the opposite,” said Choi Won-chang, public relations director of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings. “As the new system will allow players to compare their salaries with one another, the clubs probably will have to pay more to keep hold of the league’s top talent.” At a board of directors’ meeting on Sept. 11, the K-League announced its decision to disclose players’ salaries for transparent fiscal operations and argued the fans have the right to know. However, the plan has met opposition from some sides including the Bluewings and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors who question its financial benefits. With the laws protecting the clubs’ privacy and their right to make their own decisions on the matter, the proposal will not move forward without unanimous consent from the tea

Sep 19, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Lions, Giants to meet in top of table clash

By Jung Min-ho The top two teams in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will face off this weekend and the result could go some way to determining the league title. The Samsung Lions will host the Lotte Giants at the Daegu Baseball Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. With 66 wins, 2 draws and 47 losses, defending champions the Lions were three games ahead of the Giants as of Friday morning. After wrapping up the first half of the season atop the league, the Lions have had 21 wins and 16 losses since July. With only 18 matches remaining, the Giants’ have recorded a slightly better 22 wins and 15 losses and a sweep of the games for either side could play a major part in deciding who will finish first. The Lions are marginally more favored with seven wins, one draw and six losses in meetings this season. Also, the visitors had to play the Kia Tigers in Gwangju Friday while Samsung had the night off. However, in the most recent fixtures Lotte have won two of the past three games. When it comes to offense, the Lions seem stronger with a .272 team batting average and 84 hom

Sep 14, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

‘The Stun Gun’ loaded for Macau shot

By Jung Min-ho DAEJEON ― Two months ago, the first Korean Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Kim Dong-hyun missed his shot at beating the Brazilian Demian Maia. With a bout against Paulo Thiago, another Brazilian, in November in Macau, “The Stun Gun” said he “won’t miss this time.” The 30-year-old seemed like he has put the bitter loss behind him, looking fit and healthy at his newly opened gym in Daejeon. He had just come home from the Las Vegas of the Orient after the UFC poster shoot and was preparing to make a “glorious comeback”on Nov. 10. “The recent loss taught me it takes more than just good preparation and skill to win a bout in the UFC,” Kim said in an interview with The Korea Times. “When the fight ended fruitlessly without a chance to do anything I had prepared, I felt so dejected. It was tough for quite a while but made me even hungrier for victory.” Kim’s recent setback followed his first mixed martial arts (MMA) loss to American Carlos Condit last year ending a winning streak dating back to his debut in 2004. Kim said the first loss was more shock

Sep 13, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Ham-footed Koreans eke out draw with Uzbekistan

By Jung Min-ho Two goals conceded from corner kicks prevented what Korea expected to be a third consecutive win in the final qualifying stage for the 2014 World Cup and the 2002 World Cup semifinalists were lucky to escape with a draw. Korea failed to take its chance to dominate Group A, with Tuesday’s game against Uzbekistan ending 2-2. Despite goals by defender Kwak Tae-hwi and striker Lee Dong-gook at Pakhtakor Stadium, the result exposed several weaknesses. The home team took an early lead in the 13th minute when Ki Sung-yueng headed the ball into his own net after a corner was whipped in after pressing hard from the start. Korea eventually came into the game but couldn’t deliver passes precisely enough, ceding possession too often and giving Uzbekistan chances to attack. Just before the half time whistle, Kwak rose to meet Ki’s cross. Defender Artyom Filiposyan tried to clear on the line but only succeeded in smashing the ball into the roof of the net. Korea manager Choi Kang-hee saw his side go ahead on 57 minutes when Lee slotted the ball past the keeper but jus

Sep 12, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Slugger Lee Dae-ho struggling for homers

By Jung Min-ho Orix Buffaloes cleanup hitter Lee Dae-ho is faltering in the home run and RBI race, as his team remains bottom of Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League. He last cleared the fence on Aug. 26 against the Saitama Seibu Lions, while reigning home run king Takeya Nakamura struck his 22nd home run Friday to top the standings, now with one more than Lee. The Korean slugger has a league-leading 77 RBIs, his last also coming in the game against the Lions but runner-up Nakamura is closing that gap, now on 66. Lee’s batting average, which used to be above .3, has dropped to .286, placing him tenth in that category. In Tuesday’s home game against the Chiba Lotte Marines, Lee failed to capitalize on the momentum of a multi-hit performance the day before against the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles with no hit in three at bats. The 30-year-old has just three hits in 20 at bats for the past five matches, leaving a big question mark on whether he has anything left in the tank after playing 119 games this season as of Wednesday morning. “Nearly five months into th

Sep 5, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

World stars heading to Korea Open

By Jung Min-ho About 70 female tennis players, including hot tickets like Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Kirilenko, from 33 countries will vie for $500,000 in prize money at the KDB Korea Open Tennis Championship. The nation’s only Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour tournament, scheduled for Sept. 15 to 23 at the Olympic Park in Seoul, is expected to satisfy many local fans’ desire to see world-renowned stars in their backyard. Wozniacki is the most well-known figure among those scheduled to participate. The Dane, who topped the world rankings for 67 weeks until January, has received extra attention as she has been dating the world No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy since last year. The

Sep 4, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Ex-big league vets struggling in KBO

By Jung Min-ho Park Chan-ho and Kim Byung-hyun, both ex-Major League pitchers, are struggling more than many imagined in their first season in the domestic league. Park’s past five games indicate that he is facing the toughest time in his career, giving up seven home-runs, adding four losses to his now 5-9 record. The 39-year-old’s last outing was an ominous sign for the remainder of the season. Taking the mound as the Hanwha Eagles’ starter against the Kia Tigers Sunday, Park threw a season’s worst performance, giving up two home runs, nine hits and seven runs in three innings. The Eagles eventually succumbed to a 13-2 loss to remain rooted to the bottom of the table, falling further behind the other teams. Park’s recent slump is disappointing as he emerged as the Eagles’ ace, allowing only three home runs in the first half of the season with controlled deliveries despite the team’s poor performance. Many have raised the question whether Park, who has only played as a relief pitcher since 2006, then with the San Diego Padres, has run out of steam as he had been on t

Sep 3, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Sports

Park Chu-young on verge of Celta Vigo move

By Jung Min-ho Korean forward Park Chu-young appears close to agreeing move to Spanish club Celta Vigo. The 2012 London Olympic bronze medalist was in Vigo on Thursday for a medical, Korean media reported, quoting the Spanish press. Assuming he passes the medical, he is expected to finalize a one-year-loan deal from Arsenal with an option to sign him permanently if the 27-year-old lives up to expectations. The future of the striker, who ended up warming the Gunners’ bench for most of last season, remains uncertain despite interest from other teams including Fulham as a 4 million pound asking price was set. However, the South Londoners have decided to take Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United instead, leaving Arsenal short on time with the summer transfer window shut at 8 a.m. Saturday (Korean time). The former AS Monaco forward had great hopes as he joined one of the most successful English clubs having won 13 league titles, 10 FA Cups and two League Cups. But Park appeared in just one Premier League game, two Champions League matches and three outings in the FA Cu

Aug 31, 2012By Jung Min-ho

Jung Min-ho

Read more

Park Ji-sung, QPR seek first win

Paralympic chief delegate stands firm against violence

Strong opposition for disclosing players' salary

Lions, Giants to meet in top of table clash

‘The Stun Gun’ loaded for Macau shot

Ham-footed Koreans eke out draw with Uzbekistan

Slugger Lee Dae-ho struggling for homers

World stars heading to Korea Open

Ex-big league vets struggling in KBO

Park Chu-young on verge of Celta Vigo move

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