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    Landers release slumping starter Veneziano

    The SSG Landers announced Saturday they have cut ties with struggling starting pitcher Anthony Veneziano. The Landers added they will announce their acquisition of Veneziano's replacement shortly. Veneziano, the 28-year-old left-hander, struggled to a 6.10 ERA and a 2-5 record in 16 starts in his first Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season. The Landers scrambled to sign Veneziano in January after terminating a deal with their initial target, Drew VerHagen, over a failed physical. Veneziano never found his groove, giving up at least a run in 15 of his 16 outings. He posted a 7.23 ERA in four April starts and then had a 7.31 ERA in five games in June. The Landers have the highest team ERA in the KBO at 5.79 and they have received poor performances from their other foreign pitchers, too. Mitch White, a returnee from 2025, made just six appearances this year due to a shoulder injury and carried a 4.11 ERA before getting released last month. His short-term replacement, Ginjiro Hiramoto, went 0-3 with a 9.56 ERA in four outings, prompting the Landers to cut bait in early June. Thomas Hatch, w

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Landers release slumping starter Veneziano
  • Sports

    Korea needs Ange Postecoglou as head coach

    2 MIN READBy John Duerden
    Korea needs Ange Postecoglou as head coach
  • Sports

    Ex-World Cup star Park Ji-sung to co-lead new committee on reforming football

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Ex-World Cup star Park Ji-sung to co-lead new committee on reforming football
  • Sports

    Japan coach says Hong 'fought for Korean football' despite World Cup failure

    2 MIN READBy Hankookilbo
    Japan coach says Hong 'fought for Korean football' despite World Cup failure
  • Sports

    Twins become 1st KBO team to reach 50 wins in 2026

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Twins become 1st KBO team to reach 50 wins in 2026
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Sports

Mexico invites Korean football fans to Monterrey for World Cup match in June

Maricarmen Martinez, minister of tourism for the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, visited Korea to promote her state and invite Korean football fans to travel to northern Mexico this summer. Her visit comes as Monterrey, the state capital, prepares to host a group-stage match for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June, where the South Korean national team will play its third and final Group A fixture. Speaking at a tourism promotion event held at Lotte Hotel Seoul earlier this month, Martinez highlighted Monterrey’s accessibility and safety. She noted that the city is served by more than 61 international routes and welcomes approximately 15 million travelers each year. The event was organized by the Mexican Embassy in Korea to promote tourism in Nuevo Leon, one of the host states for the World Cup in North America. “Monterrey, one of the host cities of the World Cup, is among the safest cities in Mexico,” the tourism minister said. “We are working closely with FIFA to ensure the safety of fans and officials, and we are committed to maintaining high standards of security across all facilitie

Apr 15, 2026By Anna J. Park
Mexico invites Korean football fans to Monterrey for World Cup match in June
Sports

KBO hit king Son Ah-seop traded

Son Ah-seop, the career hits leader in Korean baseball, has been traded. The Hanwha Eagles announced Tuesday they have dealt Son to the Doosan Bears in exchange for left-handed pitcher Lee Kyo-hoon and 150 million won (US$101,160) in cash. Son is the all-time hit king in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history with 2,618, but he has logged just one pitch-hit at-bat for the Eagles this season. He batted 3-for-8 in three games in the minor league prior to the trade. The 38-year-old veteran began his KBO career with the Lotte Giants in 2007. He signed with the NC Dinos as a free agent before the 2022 season, and then was traded to the Eagles in July last year. He batted .288 for the season while collecting 107 hits -- his 15th season with at least 100 hits. Son became a free agent again after the 2025 campaign but was the last player to land a deal on the open market, as he returned to the Eagles in early February on a one-year deal worth 100 million won. Son, however, was not part of the Eagles' plans, with younger outfielders getting the majority of playing time. Now he joins a Bears tea

Apr 14, 2026By Yonhap
KBO hit king Son Ah-seop traded
Sports

Forum showcases sports’ role in social change

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — World Taekwondo held the second Olympism and Peace Forum at the National University of Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Monday, coinciding with the 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships. A total of 462 undergraduate and graduate students from the National University of Uzbekistan and the Uzbekistan State University of Physical Education and Sport took part in the forum, which carried the theme “Sport, Sustainability, and Economy.” The attendees represented a range of fields, including sport management, law and economics. Speakers included Dr. Husniddin Hojamkulov of Renaissance University of Education, World Taekwondo Deputy Secretary General Jerry Ling and Adidas Foundation Program Manager Marisa Schlenker. They discussed the role of sports in promoting peace, supporting economic innovation and aligning international events with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won delivered the keynote address, highlighting sports’ potential to strengthen humanitarian work and inclusive education. Choue referenced hi

Apr 14, 2026By Choi Won-suk
Forum showcases sports’ role in social change
Sports

Son Heung-min, LAFC seek to advance in regional tourney after rare loss

Having recently suffered their first loss of the 2026 season, Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and their Korean superstar Son Heung-min will look to bounce back and grab a ticket to the semifinals of a regional competition this week. LAFC will visit Cruz Azul for the second leg of the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions Cup at Estadio Cuauhtemoc in Puebla, Mexico. The match will kick off at 9 p.m. Tuesday (local time), or 10 a.m. Wednesday (South Korea time). LAFC are in the driver's seat against the defending Concacaf champions after handily winning the first leg 3-0 last week. It made LAFC the first U.S.-based club to defeat a defending champion in the tournament's 64-year history. Son opened the scoring with his first open-play goal of the year and then made the "blah blah" gesture with his hand, apparently taking jabs at his critics. Prior to that match, Son had been held to one penalty goal for the season — scored in the opening round of the Concacaf tournament on Feb. 17. Son had also failed to score for Korea in the national team's friendly matches against Ivory Coast and Au

Apr 14, 2026By Yonhap
Son Heung-min, LAFC seek to advance in regional tourney after rare loss
Sports

Refugee taekwondo athletes receive words of encouragement

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — The athletes arrived from refugee camps in Jordan, hoping to test their skills against the world’s best young taekwondo competitors. At the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, four athletes representing the World Taekwondo Refugee Team found themselves at the center of quiet attention — a reminder of how sports continue to reach across boundaries. World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won met with the athletes — Essa Mousa Alkhalaf (men’s under-55 kilograms), Mahmoud Qasim Abukhshet (men’s under-51 kilograms), Kafa Al Mubarak (women’s under-55 kilograms) and Aya Morad Alahmad (women’s under-68 kilograms) — and their coach, Ahmad Faisal Okaidat. Choue commended their progress and encouraged them to stay focused on their goals, emphasizing that discipline and persistence are what ultimately lead to success. He referred to Yahya Al Ghotani, a refugee athlete from the Azraq camp in Jordan who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, as an example of how dedication can turn opportunity into achievement. World Taekwondo Council Member

Apr 14, 2026By Choi Won-suk
Refugee taekwondo athletes receive words of encouragement
Sports

World Taekwondo Junior Championships kick off in Tashkent

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — The Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships kicked off Sunday at the Olympic City complex with a ceremony featuring Uzbek cultural performances, the raising of the World Taekwondo flag and a parade of participating teams. World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won attended with Uzbekistan’s sports officials, including Sports Minister Adkham Ikramov, National Olympic Committee First Vice President Otabek Umarov and National Paralympic Committee First Deputy Chair Shakhnoza Miziyoyeva, along with International Olympic Committee members Nenad Lalovic and Dagmawit Girmay Berhane. In his remarks, Choue noted that this 30th edition of the junior championships is the first World Taekwondo event held in the new Olympic City, with 986 athletes having registered, the most in the competition’s history. He pointed to Uzbekistan’s recent Olympic and Paralympic results and its record of staging international events, and acknowledged the work of the Uzbekistan Taekwondo Association and its president, Sherzod Tashmatov, in preparing the tournament. Representativ

Apr 13, 2026By Choi Won-suk
World Taekwondo Junior Championships kick off in Tashkent
Sports

Defending champions Twins looking to stretch winning streak vs. struggling team

A slow start to their Korean baseball title defense now a distant memory, the LG Twins have strung together seven consecutive wins to shoot to the top of the standings. They now have a chance to extend that run against a slumping club to begin the new week. After a 0-3 start, the Twins have gone 9-1, aided by the current seven-game winning streak -- the longest active run in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). With a 9-4-0 (wins-losses-ties) record, the Twins are tied for first place with the KT Wiz. During their current winning streak, the Twins boast the KBO's lowest ERA at 2.57 and have scored the second-most runs leaguewide with 42. The Twins will host the Lotte Giants (5-8-0) for three games starting Tuesday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. The Giants only recently snapped their seven-game slide and saw a mini three-game winning streak come to an end Sunday in a 2-0 loss to last-place Kiwoom Heroes. The Twins will then face a slightly tougher challenge on the weekend, as they visit third-place Samsung Lions (8-4-1) for three games beginning Friday in the southeastern city of D

Apr 13, 2026By Yonhap
Defending champions Twins looking to stretch winning streak vs. struggling team
Sports

Koreans finish well back at Masters

Both South Korean players in action at the Masters have finished near the bottom of the leaderboard at the season's first major. Im Sung-jae finished alone in 46th among the 54 players who made the cut at three-over 291 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, on Sunday (local time). His countryman Kim Si-woo ended up right behind in 47th place at four-over 292. Im finished his seventh Masters appearance with a 77, which included just one birdie against four bogeys and one double bogey. Im began the tournament with a 76 before shooting back-to-back 69s but then submitted his worst score of the week in the final round. Im found only nine of the 14 fairways off the tee Sunday, his lowest total of the week, and hit 10 of 18 greens in regulation, matching Thursday's total for his worst performance at this year's tournament. Kim failed to break 70 once in his ninth Masters, going 75-73-72-72. He had five birdies negated by five bogeys in the final round. Kim finished the tournament with a birdie on the par-4 18th, one of only eight birdies on that finishing hole Sunday. Kim hit 10 fai

Apr 13, 2026By Yonhap
Koreans finish well back at Masters
Sports

World Taekwondo president awarded honorary doctorate for sports leadership

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won received an honorary doctorate in physical education on Sunday from the Uzbekistan State University of Physical Education and Sport, recognizing his role in promoting taekwondo worldwide and advancing sports diplomacy. The ceremony, held on the opening day of the 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, brought together World Taekwondo Council members, university leaders, faculty and students. Uzbekistan State University of Physical Education and Sport President Rashid Matkarimov cited Choue’s long tenure at the helm of World Taekwondo and his humanitarian work through the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, which supports refugees and displaced communities through sport. Choue thanked the university and noted the significance of receiving the degree at an institution that helped formalize taekwondo education in Uzbekistan, calling the country a fast-rising power in the sport with “a bright future” driven by young athletes. Founded in 1955, the university has become a major training center for coaches and athletes

Apr 12, 2026By Choi Won-suk
World Taekwondo president awarded honorary doctorate for sports leadership
Sports

Badminton star An Se-young wins 1st career Asian championship

Badminton star An Se-young won her first career Asian championships singles title Sunday in China. An, the world No. 1, defeated second-ranked Wang Zhiyi of China in three games, 21-12, 17-21, 21-18, for the women's singles gold medal at the Badminton Asia Championships at Ningbo Olympic Sports Center in Ningbo, China. The Asian title had been the only major crown missing in An's decorated resume. The 24-year-old previously won an Olympic gold medal in 2024, a world title in 2023 and an Asian Games gold medal in 2023. Against Wang, An rallied from an early 5-4 deficit with three straight points, and had streaks of five and then four points in a row. Wang fought back to take the second game, winning the first five points and never relinquishing her control. An responded by building a 9-3 lead in the third game. Wang battled back to pull even at 15-15 before An reeled off four straight points en route to her title. An is now 19-5 all time against Wang. According to Badminton Korea Association, An is just the fourth South Korean player to win titles at these four competitions over their career

Apr 12, 2026By Yonhap
Badminton star An Se-young wins 1st career Asian championship
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