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    Moriyasu says Hong 'fought for Korean football' despite World Cup failure

    Japan national team coach Hajime Moriyasu has defended former Korea coach Hong Myung-bo, saying he does not believe Hong deserves to be remembered as the country's worst national team manager despite Korea's disappointing group-stage exit at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo on Wednesday after returning to Japan with his squad, Moriyasu was asked by a Korean reporter for his assessment of the Korean national team. "I don't know the situation in Korea well enough, so there's only so much I can say," Moriyasu said. "But Hong and I have stayed in touch as rivals and friends. I don't think he should be regarded as the worst coach in Korean football history. He fought tirelessly for Korean football." Moriyasu added that Hong had done everything he could under the circumstances. "He gave it his best. Evaluations are always based on results, but that doesn't mean everything he has done up to this point was wrong," he said with a smile. "I hope the Korean media will also report on the positive aspects." Hong resigned after Korea failed to advance beyond the group sta

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

    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

KBO champions Twins acquire veteran players

The reigning Korean baseball champions LG Twins announced Monday they have signed a pair of veteran players as depth pieces for their title defense. The Twins acquired 38-year-old reliever Jang Si-hwan and 34-year-old catcher Kim Min-su. Financial terms of their deals were not disclosed. Both players did not see any action in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) this year and only appeared in games in the Futures League, the KBO's minor circuit. Jang made his KBO debut with the now-defunct Hyundai Unicorns in 2007, a year after being selected No. 2 overall at the draft. Jang went on to play for the Woori Heroes (currently Kiwoom Heroes), a team that replaced the Unicorns after they folded under financial hardships in 2007, and also pitched for the KT Wiz, the Lotte Giants and the Hanwha Eagles. Jang appeared in 30 games last year and pitched to a 5.13 ERA over 33 1/3 innings but was not part of the Eagles bullpen in 2025 as the team went decidedly younger. He had a 1-1 record with a 4.15 ERA in nine outings in the Futures League. Over his KBO career so far, Jang has a 5.31 ERA in 787 inni

Dec 22, 2025By Yonhap
KBO champions Twins acquire veteran players
Sports

Top Korean tour player learns from crashing out at PGA Tour qualifying event

After enjoying a banner year on the domestic tour, Korean golfer Ok Tae-hoon crashed out at the PGA Tour's qualifying tournament in Florida last week. Though he didn't come close to earning his PGA Tour card, the 27-year-old said Monday not all was lost for him. "I didn't have a good result, but it was still a meaningful experience," Ok said in a statement released by the Korea PGA (KPGA) Tour. "It was a brand new experience, and I learned a lot from it. I was able to see how my skills stacked up at an international competition." Ok earned a direct entry into the final stage of the annual PGA Tour Q-School in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, by virtue of winning the KPGA Tour's Player of the Year honor for 2025. Ok, who recorded three wins at home, also led the tour in money, scoring average and top-10 finishes. But he only managed to shoot a one-over par 281 at the Q-School and tie for 92nd place. Only the top five players grabbed PGA Tour cards for 2026. "I traveled to the tournament site early to prepare," he said. "But it took quite a while to adapt to the course and the grass there. But I

Dec 22, 2025By Yonhap
Top Korean tour player learns from crashing out at PGA Tour qualifying event
Sports

KBO star Song Sung-mun signs with San Diego Padres: source

Song Sung-mun, a late-blooming star who has been among the best players in Korean baseball the past two seasons, has signed with the San Diego Padres, a source privy to the situation said Monday. The 29-year-old infielder, formerly of the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), is taking his talent to Major League Baseball (MLB) on a four-year deal worth $15 million, according to the source. The Associated Press also reported the financial details of Song's contract, but the Padres had not officially confirmed the deal as of this writing. Reports of Song's deal with the Padres first surfaced Friday. Song had been posted for all 30 MLB clubs in November, and his 30-day negotiating window was to close at 5 p.m. (U.S. Eastern time) on Sunday, or 7 a.m. Monday (Korean time). While the Padres had not made their announcement by the posting deadline, the source said Song had already put pen to paper and the club's confirmation was a mere formality. Song made his KBO debut with the Heroes in 2015 after being selected in the fifth round the previous year, but he only had his first b

Dec 22, 2025By Yonhap
KBO star Song Sung-mun signs with San Diego Padres: source
Sports

Son Heung-min's free kick curler voted top Korean goal for 2025

Son Heung-min's picturesque free kick goal has been chosen by fans as South Korean football's best goal of 2025. The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Monday that Son's right-footed curler in a 2-0 friendly win over Bolivia on Nov. 14 has been voted as the 2025 KFA Goal of the Year. According to the KFA, 1,450 fans participated in the online voting at "PlayKFA" between Dec. 8 and 18. Son's patented free kick score from outside the left corner of the box received 57.4 percent of support from the voters. This was Son's third straight Goal of the Year honor. Previously, Son earned the best goal recognition in 2023 with a midrange strike against Singapore in a World Cup qualifying match, and repeated that feat in 2024 with an extra-time free kick goal against Australia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup. The Bolivia match, which also included a goal by striker Cho Gue-sung, was voted as the KFA Match of the Year, with 42.7 percent of the fans backing it. South Korea's 2-0 win over the United States in New Jersey in a September friendly match finished in

Dec 22, 2025By Yonhap
Son Heung-min's free kick curler voted top Korean goal for 2025
Sports

Badminton star An Se-young captures record-tying 11th int'l title of year

Korean badminton star An Se-young claimed her record-tying 11th international title of the season on Sunday in China. An, world No. 1 and 2024 Olympic gold medalist, defeated Wang Zhiyi of China 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 21-10) for the women's singles title at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Hangzhou on Sunday. The victory put An in a tie with the former men's singles player Kento Momota for the most international titles in a single season. An reached 12 finals in 15 BWF World Tour events this season, and her only loss in a final came against Akane Yamaguchi of Japan at the Korea Open in September. As the annual season finale, the World Tour Finals are open only to the top eight individual players and top eight doubles pairs from the World Tour season. In the women's singles, the eight players were divided into two groups, and the top two players from each group after round-robin action qualified for the semifinals. An went undefeated in the preliminary phase and then knocked off Yamaguchi in the semifinals to get a measure of

Dec 21, 2025By Yonhap
Badminton star An Se-young captures record-tying 11th int'l title of year
Sports

Gwangju FC mutually terminate deal with head coach

Gwangju FC announced Sunday they have terminated their contract with head coach Lee Jung-hyo by mutual consent, with the tactician rumored to be on his way to another domestic club. Gwangju FC of the top-flight K League 1 said Lee had asked his way out of the deal on Dec. 12, with two more seasons left. Following a legal review, the club decided to grant Lee his wish Sunday. Lee, 50, grabbed Gwangju's reins in December 2021 and led them to the title in the second-tier K League 2 in 2022. Gwangju set a record for most points in the K League 2 with 86 and earned direct promotion to the K League 1 for 2023. Despite predictions that they'd be lucky to avoid relegation, Gwangju FC finished the 2023 K League 1 season in third place with 59 points, thanks to a club-record 16 wins, 11 draws and 11 losses. Gwangju FC slipped to ninth place in 2024 but improved to seventh place this year. In other competitions, they reached the final of the Korea Cup this year, falling to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2-1 in a hard-fought contest, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Cham

Dec 21, 2025By Yonhap
Gwangju FC mutually terminate deal with head coach
Sports

Teen snowboarder credits recent success to mental growth

Having captured two straight World Cup titles in the leadup to her first Winter Olympics, teenage snowboarder Choi Gaon says her mental development has been the big key to her success. Choi won the women's halfpipe gold medal at the latest International Ski Federation Snowboard World Cup stop in Copper Mountain, Colorado, on Friday (local time), with 94.50 points. A week earlier, Choi had also come out on top in the World Cup event in China. The 17-year-old had one career World Cup title to her credit entering this season. "I've never won two titles in the same season before, so it hasn't hit me yet," Choi told Yonhap News Agency over the phone Sunday. "I am pleased that my hard work is paying off and that I've been able to stay healthy." Korean American star Chloe Kim has won each of the past two Olympic gold medals in the women's halfpipe, in which boarders perform acrobatic spins, flips and board grabs on a 22-foot, U-shaped structure. They are judged on degrees of difficulty, height and execution of their moves. Kim is still regarded as the athlete to beat at the Milan-Cortina Winter

Dec 21, 2025By Yonhap
Teen snowboarder credits recent success to mental growth
Sports

Mbappé equals Ronaldo's record of 59 goals in a year for Real Madrid

BARCELONA, Spain — Kylian Mbappé scored his 59th goal for Real Madrid in 2025 on Saturday to equal the club record for the most in a year held by Cristiano Ronaldo. The milestone was about to escape the France striker until he converted a penalty kick with four minutes left to complete a 2-0 win over 10-man Sevilla in Madrid's final game of the year. Mbappé matched Ronaldo’s tally from 2013. After embracing his teammates, he marked the feat with a subdued version of Ronaldo’s trademark goal celebration before blowing a kiss at the television cameras. The former Paris Saint-Germain star, who joined Madrid in the summer of 2024, has scored 29 times for Madrid this season, including a league-leading 18. Jude Bellingham scored with a header in the 38th minute and Sevilla lost defender Marcao to a second booking for rash tackles with 20 minutes left. Sevilla coach Matías Almeyda also was expelled by the referee during the halftime break. Alonso has been under pressure for several weeks due to a run of bad results and the overall lackluster play of his star-studded side. Spanish sports

Dec 21, 2025By AP
Mbappé equals Ronaldo's record of 59 goals in a year for Real Madrid
Sports

'From Manchester United prodigy to K League leader’: Jesse Lingard wraps up his Korea chapter

“I have been so happy here. It has been a fantastic two years.” With those words, Jesse Lingard, captain of K League 1 side FC Seoul, bid an emotional farewell to fans. Smiling as he began his remarks, Lingard soon broke down in tears as he said goodbye, bringing his time in Korea to a close. Lingard played his final match in a Seoul shirt, Dec. 10, at Seoul World Cup Stadium, facing Melbourne City in the sixth group-stage match of the 2025–26 Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite. He marked the occasion with a first-half opener in the 31st minute, offering fans a “last gift” despite the 1-1 draw. The result mattered less than parting with teammates, club staff and supporters. “Over the past two years in Korea, I grew as a person,” Lingard said. “Becoming captain taught me responsibility, and I met teammates who will be friends for life. Seoul is a club that always aims for titles and first place. I will keep supporting a stronger Seoul from afar.” He later led fans in a familiar victory chant before shouting in Korean, “Thank you. I love you!” Those w

Dec 20, 2025By Hankookilbo
'From Manchester United prodigy to K League leader’: Jesse Lingard wraps up his Korea chapter
Sports

World gets pre-Olympic view of Asian dominance on the halfpipe

COPPER MOUNTAIN, Colo. — Chloe Kim sat out with an injury. Shaun White has been retired for four years. Without them, the world got a peek at what snowboarding on the halfpipe looks like heading into the Winter Olympics: It is now a sport dominated by Japanese, with other Asian stars in the mix. Japan's Ryusei Yamada and Korea's Choi Gaon won the men's and women's World Cup events Friday at Copper Mountain on a blustery day that featured only one American on either podium: 18-year-old Bea Kim, who took third in the women's contest, ahead of Japan's Sena Tomita. America's Chloe Kim competed in qualifying Wednesday but suffered an undisclosed injury in the lead-up to the final and sat out. U.S. Ski and Snowboard didn't provide details about the injury. This was the only pre-Olympic event Kim had signed up for, and how missing this final might impact her upcoming schedule remains to be seen. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is the only U.S. halfpipe rider already qualified for Milan Cortina, as the American team looks for someone to join her as the sport's headliner now that White, the

Dec 20, 2025By AP
World gets pre-Olympic view of Asian dominance on the halfpipe
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