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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

    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
  • Sports

    KBO clubs shutting down key pitchers as All-Star break nears

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    KBO clubs shutting down key pitchers as All-Star break nears
  • Sports

    Doosan Bears sign temporary replacement pitcher to full contract, acquire new infielder

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Doosan Bears sign temporary replacement pitcher to full contract, acquire new infielder
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Sports

Nat'l athletic training center opens for new year ahead of Winter Olympics, other major events

The main national athletic training center officially opened for business for 2026 on Wednesday, with a series of international competitions, including the Winter Olympics, on the horizon. The Italian co-host cities of Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo will stage the Winter Games starting Feb. 6. The World Baseball Classic, the FIFA World Cup and the Asian Games are the other major events in the jampacked sporting calendar. With hundreds of athletes and officials on hand at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), declared 2026 will be "the year of K-sports." "We at the KSOC will offer our full support for our athletes and do our best to create optimal training environments," Ryu said at the start of the opening ceremony. "We have increased our annual budget and acquired new equipment to strengthen medical support for national team athletes. The training center won't just be a place to work on athletic skills. It will be where athletes will be able to achieve personal growth in a hea

Jan 7, 2026By Yonhap
Nat'l athletic training center opens for new year ahead of Winter Olympics, other major events
Sports

LPGA player pursuing maiden major in 2026

Ryu Hae-ran has won a tournament in each of her first three seasons on the LPGA Tour since her debut in 2023, but none of them has been a major. The 24-year-old has had her chances, notably at the Chevron Championship in each of the last two years. She held a 54-hole lead on both occasions only to falter in the final round — with a two-over 74 in 2024 and 76 in 2025. "I've long thought about winning a major, but I guess I've not been ready," Ryu told reporters Tuesday after a corporate event in Seoul. "I am grateful that I've been able to win at least once every year, and I would love to do better at majors this year. I think it will come if I keep plugging at it." Ryu, the 2023 LPGA Rookie of the Year, admitted memories of the blown leads at the Chevron Championship still haunt her to this day. The tournament was held at The Club at Carlton Woods in The Woodlands, Texas, in both of those years, but is reportedly moving to another Texas venue, Memorial Park Golf Course, this year. "I've won tournaments on new courses before and I am looking forward to this year's Chevron Championship,"

Jan 6, 2026By Yonhap
LPGA player pursuing maiden major in 2026
Sports

Manager for KBO champions Twins sets sights on 2nd straight title

No team in South Korean baseball has won consecutive titles since 2016. It's the longest drought without a back-to-back champion in the 44-year history of the Korea Baseball Organization. Youm Kyoung-youb, manager of the 2025 Korean Series champions LG Twins, voiced his confidence Tuesday that his club can end that streak this year. "Honestly, we had been building up to win the title in 2026. We were extremely lucky to win it in 2025," Youm told reporters after the team's first meeting of 2026 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "For the 2026 season, our roster setup is perfect. We will be the one to win back-to-back titles." The Twins also won the Korean Series title in 2023 but didn't even reach the championship round in 2024. They returned to the top in 2025 thanks to a revamped starting rotation fronted by Yonny Chirinos and midseason arrival Anders Tolhurst, plus a lineup full of hitters who consistently put the ball in play and rarely struck out. Their airtight defense also helped. For 2026, the Twins will bring back their entire rotation from a season ago, and will welcome back K

Jan 6, 2026By Yonhap
Manager for KBO champions Twins sets sights on 2nd straight title
Sports

Figure skater hoping to move crowd to tears at Olympics

After completing a performance that ultimately secured her first ticket to the Olympics on Sunday, figure skater Lee Hae-in was so overcome with emotions that she stayed on the ice for a moment and shed a few tears. And when Lee makes her Olympic debut in the Italian host city of Milan next month, she wants to make fans in the stands cry tears of joy. "I am sure the arena will be packed and I will probably be a nervous wreck," Lee said in a media scrum before an opening training session at Taeneung Indoor Ice Arena in Seoul on Tuesday. "Hopefully, when I overcome those anxious moments and put on a good performance, a lot of people will be shedding tears of happiness and giving me an ovation." Lee, 20, finished second overall in the two-legged Olympic trials, behind only Shin Ji-a, to take the last Olympic spot for South Korea in the women's singles. Less than two years ago, though, Lee's career hung in the balance and it didn't appear likely the 2023 world silver medalist would even have a chance to skate in the Olympic trials. In June 2024, the Korea Skating Union (KSU) slapped her with

Jan 6, 2026By Yonhap
Figure skater hoping to move crowd to tears at Olympics
Sports

New Giants manager enjoys 'fun start' to relationship with Korean star in Seoul

Tony Vitello was named the new manager of the San Francisco Giants in October last year, but it wasn't until Tuesday that he got to meet his Korean outfielder Lee Jung-hoo — and in Lee's hometown of Seoul, at that. And after spending the morning with Lee touring a traditional market, making Korean dishes and playing old Korean games, Vitello said he couldn't have asked for a better start to their relationship. "It's been a lot of fun. Everyone here is very welcoming to us. Obviously, we've got a good host that's a teammate of ours," Vitello said at a press conference after participating in cultural activities in Seoul. "To me, it's part of why you work out, you make sacrifices, you compete, you take tough losses, you do all these things as an athlete. And part of the reason is you want to be a part of a group that you love, a family away from your family," Vitello added. "And the only way for it to be like that is if you spend time around one another. So it's only been the start, but it's been a fun start, and I think it's important for all of us to build that relationship." Vitello is

Jan 6, 2026By Yonhap
New Giants manager enjoys 'fun start' to relationship with Korean star in Seoul
Sports

Pitcher Go Woo-suk back with Detroit Tigers on minor league deal

Korean pitcher Go Woo-suk is back with the Detroit Tigers for a second season after signing a minor league contract with the organization. Go's Seoul-based agency, Leeco Sports, confirmed Monday that Go has a minor league deal in place with the Tigers. The Tigers first announced on their transactions page that they had signed Go to a minor league pact and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate, the Toledo Mud Hens, on Dec. 16. The 27-year-old pitcher will take another crack at reaching Major League Baseball this year after first taking his talent to America in January 2024, when he agreed to a two-year deal with the San Diego Padres. Go struggled in spring training and began the 2024 season in the minors. The Padres then traded him to the Miami Marlins in May 2024, and Go only reached as high as Triple-A in the Marlins system, going 2-0 with a 4.29 ERA in 16 outings. He appeared in five more games in Triple-A for Miami before being released in June last year. The Tigers got him on a minor league deal later in the same month but kept him on their Triple-A club for the rest of the season

Jan 5, 2026By Yonhap
Pitcher Go Woo-suk back with Detroit Tigers on minor league deal
Sports

2nd-year Dinos manager has high expectations for club, himself in new season

The 2026 Korean baseball season couldn't start a day sooner for NC Dinos manager Lee Ho-joon. After leading his underdog team to an unlikely postseason berth last year as the first-year skipper, Lee said Monday he has far more confidence in himself entering his season on the bench for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club. "Last year, I had so much to learn and I made so many mistakes," Lee told reporters at Changwon NC Park in the southeastern city of Changwon after the club's first meeting of the new year. "This year, I expect some good things from myself. I am confident that I can minimize mistakes. I can't wait for games to start." The Dinos defied expectations last season by reaching the postseason with a win-loss-tie record of 71-67-6. They won the final nine games of the regular season to crack the top five and reach the wild card round, where they fell to the Samsung Lions. The Dinos have made one notable change to their starting rotation, with a career minor leaguer Curtis Taylor replacing Logan Allen. Allen went 7-12 with a 4.53 ERA in 32 starts. The Dinos would be ecstatic

Jan 5, 2026By Yonhap
2nd-year Dinos manager has high expectations for club, himself in new season
Sports

Dinos captain going for 2nd straight defensive award

NC Dinos second baseman and captain Park Min-woo has been among the best contact hitters in Korean baseball since his debut in 2013. With a lifetime batting average of .319, Park ranks third among all active players with at least 3,000 plate appearances. For the upcoming season, though, Park wants to be recognized for more than his potent bat. In 2025, Park batted .302, clearing the .300 mark for the third consecutive season and for the ninth time in his Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) career. He also won his first KBO Fielding Award at second base. At the team's first meeting of the new year Monday, Park said he would love to repeat as the winner of the league's top defensive prize. "After the last season ended, I tried to shed some weight and put myself in shape to be able to play a lot of games," Park said at Changwon NC Park in the southeastern city of Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. "My goal this year is to win my second consecutive Fielding Award." Park, 32, wasn't always known for his glove and was prone to botching simple plays earlier in his career. He has made significant

Jan 5, 2026By Yonhap
Dinos captain going for 2nd straight defensive award
Sports

New Gwangju FC head coach eyes return to top tier in K League 1

Rejoining his former club as their new head coach, Gwangju FC bench boss Lee Jung-kyu has set out a modest goal for the 2026 K League 1 campaign. With Gwangju having finished in the lower tier of the 12-club league in each of the past two years, Lee wants to push them back into the upper echelon of the top division. Each year, the 12 K League 1 clubs are split into two tiers after 33 matches — "Final A" for the top six clubs and "Final B" for the bottom six teams. Gwangju ranked third in 2023 but finished ninth in 2024 and then seventh last year. "I want to maintain the system that Gwangju FC have built over the years and also make sure we will take the next big step," Lee said Sunday at his introductory press conference at Gwangju World Cup Stadium in Gwangju. Lee and his team departed for Thailand on Monday to set up their offseason training camp. "Our primary objective is to get into Final A. And during training camp, we will be able to develop more specific goals for the new season," Lee added. "I think we can be a competitive club if we train and prepare with purpose." Lee, 43, ser

Jan 5, 2026By Yonhap
New Gwangju FC head coach eyes return to top tier in K League 1
Sports

K League sees first foreign goalkeeper in 28 years

Emanuel Novo has become the Korea Professional Football League's (K League) first foreign goalkeeper in 28 years, a milestone that signals a growing openness in a role long closed to non-Korean athletes. Yongin FC, named after its home city in Gyeonggi Province and set to enter the second-tier K League 2 this season, announced on Saturday that it had signed the Portuguese goalkeeper. The 33-year-old is also the K League’s first foreign goalkeeper since the league lifted its long-standing ban on foreign registrations at the position last June, a change that took effect this season. Previously, Novo played in Portugal’s first and second divisions and has also competed in Romania and Saudi Arabia. Yongin FC cited his command of the air — aided by his 192-centimeter frame — as well as his strong communication with defenders. “As the first goalkeeper to join the K League since the ban on foreign goalkeepers was lifted, I want to live up to that responsibility,” Novo said, adding that it was a great honor to join the team. In 1999, after years of gradual curbs, the league barred th

Jan 4, 2026By Park Ung
K League sees first foreign goalkeeper in 28 years
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