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

    Former FIFA World Cup hero Park Ji-sung will serve as the co-head of a new government-formed committee on reforming Korean football, officials said Friday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the launch of the "K-Football Innovation Committee," with Park and Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young jointly at the helm. According to the ministry, the committee also appointed seven members, including Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee; Kim Seung-hee, executive director of the Korea Football Association (KFA); and two former national team players Lee Young-pyo and Park Joo-ho. The committee will hold "comprehensive discussions" on measures that can help bolster Korean football's global competitiveness and cover areas such as football governance, youth development and adoption of the latest technologies, the ministry said. The committee has been put together in the aftermath of Korea's elimination from the ongoing FIFA World Cup after the initial group stage. Earlier this week, Chae announced plans for the ministry to conduct an audit into operations at

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

    Landers release slumping starter Veneziano

    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

    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

Dodgers' Kim Hye-seong gets 2 hits, makes defensive gem in 1st start of season

Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers has made the most of his first start of the 2026 season. The Korean shortstop batted 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored, as the Dodgers hammered the Toronto Blue Jays 14-2 at Rogers Centre in Toronto on Monday (local time) in a rematch of the 2025 World Series. Kim also made a defensive gem at shortstop. Kim started his second season in a row in the minors and was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday. Just hours later, Kim made his season debut as a defensive replacement during a road game against the Washington Nationals. The Dodgers placed veteran shortstop Mookie Betts on the injured list earlier Sunday with an oblique injury, and they now plan to use Kim and Miguel Rojas in a platoon at shortstop -- with Kim, who bats left-handed, likely getting the bulk of opportunities against right-handed pitchers. With the righty Max Scherzer starting for the Blue Jays, Kim got the start at shortstop and batted ninth. He flied out in his first plate appearance in the second inning. But with lefty reliever Josh Fleming on the mound, Kim stayed in

Apr 7, 2026By Yonhap
Dodgers' Kim Hye-seong gets 2 hits, makes defensive gem in 1st start of season
Sports

With walks aplenty, KBO games taking longer despite pace-of-play rules

With the first full week of play in the books, new rules designed to speed up the game in Korean baseball haven't had their desired effects. After 40 contests into the season played through Sunday, the average game time in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for a nine-inning affair came to three hours and 12 minutes, 10 minutes longer than last season. Counting extra-inning games, the average game time is 3:14, up from 3:05 in 2025. The Samsung Lions were the only team averaging under three hours per game, at 2:50. The Hanwha Eagles have been taking the longest to finish nine-inning games at 3:30. The KBO has been implementing new rules in recent years to help reduce the game time. The pitch clock was put in place last year, for instance. Since 2025, ties have been declared after 11 innings, not 12. These changes paid immediate dividends last year, as the average game time dropped to its lowest in the 21st century. For 2026, the KBO shaved two seconds off the pitch clock -- 18 seconds with no one on base and 23 seconds with runners aboard. The league also gave first base and second base

Apr 7, 2026By Yonhap
With walks aplenty, KBO games taking longer despite pace-of-play rules
Sports

2 Korean veterans set to tee off at Masters

Kim Si-woo and Im Sung-jae will be the two Korean players competing for the iconic green jacket at the Masters this week. Korea has had at least one player in the exclusive Masters field at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, in every year since 2003. Starting Thursday, there will be 91 players teeing off at the first major of the year, including former Masters champions, the top-12 players at the 2025 Masters, recent major winners and players inside the top 50 in the world rankings. Kim, the highest-ranked Korean at No. 28, will make his ninth Masters appearance after missing out in 2025. His best performance at Augusta is a tie for 12th in 2021. Kim, 30, tied for 10th at his Masters tuneup, the Valero Texas Open, over the weekend. The four-time PGA Tour winner had a fast start to the 2026 season, recording three consecutive top-six finishes from late January to early February. He then cooled off with three finishes outside the top 30 in his next four tournaments before making a final round surge for his fourth top-10 finish of the season at the Texas tournament. Kim is 14th

Apr 7, 2026By Yonhap
2 Korean veterans set to tee off at Masters
Sports

Bears sign KBO veteran Benjamin as temporary injury replacement

The Doosan Bears announced their signing of left-hander Wes Benjamin as a short-term injury replacement Monday. The Bears said Benjamin agreed to a six-week contract worth $50,000 to fill in for starter Chris Flexen, who has been sidelined with a right rotator cuff injury. Benjamin, 32, previously pitched for another Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club, KT Wiz, from 2022 to 2024. He compiled a 31-18 record with a 3.74 ERA in 74 starts, with 390 strikeouts in 406 1/3 innings. Benjamin also had a 3.54 ERA in 40 2/3 innings across nine postseason outings. Prior to his first tour of duty in the KBO, Benjamin appeared in 21 games for the Texas Rangers from 2020 to 2021. After the 2024 season, Benjamin signed with the San Diego Padres but spent 2025 in Triple-A. In 28 outings there, Benjamin went 4-8 with a 6.42 ERA. The Padres released Benjamin in November. The Bears said they will bank on Benjamin's track record as a successful starter in the KBO, adding that the southpaw can still be a competitive pitcher at this level. The Bears said Benjamin will join the team as soon as necessary adminis

Apr 6, 2026By Yonhap
Bears sign KBO veteran Benjamin as temporary injury replacement
Sports

Kim Hye-seong makes season debut with Dodgers after being recalled from minors

Kim Hye-seong has made his season debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers just hours after being recalled from the minors. Kim entered the game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park in Washington on Sunday (local time) in the bottom of the eighth inning as a defensive replacement at second base. Alex Freeland got the start at second base and batted ninth but was lifted for pinch hitter Kyle Tucker during the Dodgers' four-run rally in the top of the eighth. With Tucker being an outfielder, Kim took Freeland's spot on the field to begin the bottom eight, as the Dodgers went on to take the game 8-6. The Dodgers brought Kim up from Triple-A Oklahoma City before the game, with All-Star shortstop Mookie Betts being placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain earlier in the day. Kim will be mostly filling in at shortstop in a platoon with Miguel Rojas -- with Kim, who bats left-handed, starting against right-handers. Betts suffered his injury during Saturday's game. After drawing a walk in the top of the first inning, Betts scored from first base on a double and then

Apr 6, 2026By Yonhap
Kim Hye-seong makes season debut with Dodgers after being recalled from minors
Sports

Son Heung-min records career-high 4 assists in LAFC victory

Son Heung-min was in the mood for sharing in the latest win by Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC). Son recorded a career-high four assists in the first half alone as LAFC routed Orlando City SC 6-0 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday (local time). The four assists in the opening 45 minutes tied the LAFC club record for a half and for a match. He became only the second player in Major League Soccer (MLS) history to pick up four assists in one half. Son now leads MLS with seven assists in six matches so far this season. He has 11 helpers in 10 matches in all competitions this year, with four dimes in four matches at the Concacaf Champions Cup tournament. Son, however, has yet to score a goal in MLS play this season. LAFC got on the board in the seventh minute on an own goal by Orlando's David Brekalo, who had a Son pass go in off his leg. Then Son set up his trusted partner Denis Bounaga for three consecutive goals in an eight-minute span, starting in the 20th minute. Son then found Sergi Palencia in the center of the box for the 5-0 goal in the 39th minute. The five first-half goals were

Apr 5, 2026By Yonhap
Son Heung-min records career-high 4 assists in LAFC victory
Sports

Historic Seoul stadium to host KBO All-Star Game in final season

The historic Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul will host the All-Star Game this summer in its final season. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Friday that Jamsil, in the southeastern part of the capital city, will hold the annual midsummer exhibition game on July 11. It will be the first All-Star Game there since 2022. Jamsil, shared by the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears with a capacity of 23,750, will be torn down after this season and will be replaced by a 30,000-seat dome on the same site. Built in 1982, the inaugural KBO season, Jamsil is the oldest stadium in the league. During construction of the new stadium from 2027 to 2031, the Twins and the Bears will play their home games at the adjacent Seoul Olympic Stadium, which hosted the opening and closing ceremonies, plus football matches and athletics events, at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Once complete, the dome will once again be the shared home for the two KBO clubs and hold concerts during the offseason.

Apr 3, 2026By Yonhap
Historic Seoul stadium to host KBO All-Star Game in final season
Sports

Figure skating star Cha Jun-hwan signs with entertainment agency Fantagio

Korean figure skating star Cha Jun-hwan has signed with Fantagio, fueling speculation that the Olympian will return to his early roots in the entertainment industry. An official from the agency confirmed the move on Thursday. "We have signed an exclusive contract with Cha Jun-hwan," the official told Hankook Ilbo. Born in 2001, Cha initially entered the entertainment world as a child model at age 7, appearing in numerous commercials. He started figure skating in second grade. He has since made history for Korean male figure skating. He finished fifth at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, setting a national record, and won a historic gold medal at the 2025 Harbin Winter Asian Games. Most recently, he placed fourth at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games. Cha continues his athletic career by representing Team Seoul, a municipal team, but his partnership with the management company signals upcoming promotional activities. Fantagio manages a prominent roster of high-profile actors and K-pop acts. The agency represents actors Kim Seon-ho, Baek Yoon-sik, Ong Seong-wu, Kang Ye-won, Gong Min-jeung

Apr 3, 2026By Hankookilbo
Figure skating star Cha Jun-hwan signs with entertainment agency Fantagio
Sports

Korea coach expresses unwavering faith in Son Heung-min

Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo claimed Thursday he has never lost faith in Son Heung-min, despite signs of declining skills for the longtime national football team captain. "Son Heung-min is the heart of our team, and I have never once doubted that," Hong told reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, after arriving home from a two-match European trip. Korea lost to Ivory Coast 4-0 last Saturday near London before getting blanked 1-0 by Austria in Vienna on Tuesday. Following these back-to-back losses, Korea dropped three spots to No. 25 in the latest FIFA rankings released earlier Thursday. Son, who was under the weather when he joined the national team camp in late March, was subbed on in the second half of the Ivory Coast match but failed to make any impact. He got the start against Austria but missed a few scoring chances before being taken out late in the second half. Son has not yet scored an open-play goal for Los Angeles Football Club in nine matches this season. Son, 33, pushed back against the narrative that he had hit the downslope of his career with the World

Apr 2, 2026By Yonhap
Korea coach expresses unwavering faith in Son Heung-min
Sports

More questions than answers for misfiring Korea

With just over two months until South Korea kicks off its 2026 World Cup campaign against Denmark, there are still many questions surrounding the team, even after its trip to Europe. On Saturday, the Taegeuk Warriors lost 4-0 to the Ivory Coast, a truly terrible result at this stage of preparation, followed by a trip to Austria on Tuesday. The performance in Vienna was better, but that is not saying much, and it ended 0-0. It should be said — and it has been said — that these were only friendlies. Too much can be read into warm-up games, but there are worrying reminders of 2014, when coach Hong Myung-bo was also in charge going into the World Cup. In the five games before the big kick-off in Brazil that year, Korea failed to score in four and suffered two 4-0 defeats. At the time, the optimistic among us hoped that it would all come good. It didn’t, and the team left South America with three poor performances and a single point from three games. The sight of the players standing at Incheon International Airport being showered with "yeot," or taffy, by waiting fans — a symbolic d

Apr 2, 2026By John Duerden
More questions than answers for misfiring Korea
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