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    Son Heung-min ready to 'give everything and more' in every match

    ZAPOPAN, Mexico — With Korea about to embark on their journey at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, captain Son Heung-min said Wednesday he and his teammates will be ready to give their everything and more in all the matches. Son will lead Korea against Czechia in the teams' first Group A match at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, at 8 p.m. Thursday (local time), or 11 a.m. Friday (Korean time). "The guys are so fired up for this match, and I actually have to calm them down," Son said at the prematch presser at the match venue. "I hope our hard work will bear fruit, and I think we absolutely deserve it. The vibe is tremendous, and I can feel it from the eyes of my teammates. Every World Cup match is so important that we'd be willing to stake our lives on it. Tomorrow, we will give everything we've got and more." In the twilight of his career at 33, Son is at his fourth and possibly final World Cup, having evolved into a transcendent superstar and a national icon. He was one of the team's few bright spots in 2014, netting his first career World Cup goal at 21 as Korea took a quick

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Son Heung-min ready to 'give everything and more' in every match
  • Sports

    Ex-KBO MVP Kim Do-yeong headlines Asian Games baseball roster

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Ex-KBO MVP Kim Do-yeong headlines Asian Games baseball roster
  • Sports

    Where does Korea sit in 2026 FIFA World Cup kit design rankings?

    2 MIN READBy Hankookilbo
    Where does Korea sit in 2026 FIFA World Cup kit design rankings?
  • Sports

    New Twins pitcher Rios eager to build on strong KBO debut

    2 MIN READBy Yonhap
    New Twins pitcher Rios eager to build on strong KBO debut
  • Sports

    Korean defender Kim Tae-hyeon sidelined with ankle injury

    1 MIN READBy Yonhap
    Korean defender Kim Tae-hyeon sidelined with ankle injury
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Sports

Free agent slugger Lee Dae-ho departs for U.S. in pursuit of MLB contract

South Korean free agent slugger Lee Dae-ho left for the United States on Monday in pursuit of a big league contract.Lee, 33, first announced his intent to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) on Nov. 3, only days after helping the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks capture their second straight Japanese league title and winning the Japan Series MVP.He then opted out of his contract with the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) club, saying he wanted to realize his lifelong dream of becoming a major leaguer.The former Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) MVP told reporters at Incheon International Airport that he has drawn interest from multiple big league teams."I heard (from my agent) four to five teams are showing interest," Lee said. "I made a successful transition to Japanese baseball, and I don't think I will have any big problem adjusting to MLB. I am pretty confident in my bat and also in my defense."Lee will head to the annual MLB Winter Meetings, which will open Monday, local time, in Nashville, Tennessee, for a four-day run. He said he will return home Sunday to continue his offseason traini

Dec 7, 2015
Sports

No smoking

Hankook Ilbo President Lee Jong-seoung, sixth from left, and Korea Health Promotion Foundation (KHPF) President Jang Seok-il, seventh from left, stand at the starting line of the 454th Turtle Marathon on Mount Namsan in Seoul, Saturday. The event, co-hosted by the Hankook Ilbo, sister paper of The Korea Times, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the KHPF, is part of a joint no-smoking campaign. / Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soon

Dec 6, 2015
Sports

Kim Tae-hun sits on top of taekwondo rankings

Korea’s Kim Tae-hun, left, lands a kick on Iran’s Farzan Ashourzadeh Fallah during their men’s under-58 kilograms final at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Finals at Sala de Armas in Mexico City, Sunday. / Courtesy of the World Taekwondo Federation By Nam Hyun-wooKim Tae-hun beat Iran’s Farzan Ashourzadeh Fallah 3-2 to win the men’s under-58 kilograms at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Finals in Mexico City, Sunday (KST), claiming the world No. 1 position in the weight category.The tournament is part of the quota system that allows National Olympic Committees (NOC) to select fighters for the Rio Olympics. Three Korean fighters finished higher than the cut-off line of sixth place, helping the country to virtually secure a record high five spots in the 2016 Games.The Korea Taekwondo Association confirmed that no additional tryouts will be held and those who were in the quota will take part in the Olympics.At Sala de Armas, the Olympic fencing venue in the Magdalena Mixihuca Sports Complex, Kim clinched an upset victory after landing a three-poi

Dec 6, 2015
Kim Tae-hun sits on top of taekwondo rankings
Sports

No MLB bids for posted 3B Hwang Jae-gyun

Hwang Jae-gyunBy Nam Hyun-wooThere was more disappointment for Major League Baseball (MLB) fans here, after no MLB club posted a bid for Lotte Giants third baseman Hwang Jae-gyun.The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) notified the Giants, Saturday. The 28-year-old player is currently undergoing a four-week basic military training and will return to the club.The news comes after his team-mate outfielder Son Ah-seop suffered the same fate last month. Since the KBO prohibits a club from posting more than two players at the same time, Hwang got his chance on Nov. 26 after Son failed to get a bid. As widely anticipated, however, no big league clubs were interested in the player who posted less than solid numbers compared to those who recently entered the big league, such as the Minnesota Twins’ Park Byung-ho and the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Kang Jung-ho.Hwang became the third Korean to see no clubs posting a bid for him. Former Doosan Bears reliever Jin Pil-joong was the first to draw no bid in 2002.The Lotte Giants officials reportedly expressed their embarrassment, but palpable an

Dec 6, 2015
No MLB bids for posted 3B Hwang Jae-gyun
Sports

K-League all OK but not special

Suwon FC players and staff acknowledge their fans after winning their promotion/relegation play-off against Busan I’Park at Busan Gudeok Stadium, Saturday. / YonhapBy John DuerdenThe last action of the 2015 Korea domestic football season, Saturday, saw the former powerhouse Busan I’Park drop to the second tier for the first time in its history. The country’s second largest city has a proud history in the sport with national and continental titles but history is all it has. That was in the 1990s. The past decade has been one of underachievement and mismanagement.Suwon FC won in the promotion/relegation play-off to take Busan’s place in the top tier. It can only be hoped that a season in the second division will help the team sort out its problems and come back stronger. But it is a hope.It was something of a dramatic end to a season that will not be remembered as a classic. It was all OK without being anything special but that is what happens when the title race and relegation battles are usually settled (Busan’s play-off apart) well before the season end

Dec 6, 2015
K-League all OK but not special
Sports

Taekwondo fighters to compete for Rio Olympic spot

Jade Jones of the U.K., right, lands a kick in the face of Eva Calvo Gomez of Spain, during their women’s 57 kilograms final of the 2014 World Taekwondo Grand Prix at Queretaro Convention Center in Mexico, in this Dec. 4, 2014, file photo. / Courtesy of World Taekwondo FederationBy Nam Hyun-wooTop taekwondo practitioners will fight for a spot in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics this weekend, during the 2015 World Taekwondo Federation Grand Prix Final in Mexico City.The world taekwondo body’s grand prix series will come to its finale at the Magdalena Mixihuca sports complex, with 64 of the highest-ranked athletes from 28 countries seeking 48 tickets to Rio.For the event, the federation invited the top eight athletes in world rankings in each Olympic weight category. There are four male and four female weight categories. After the event, the top six athletes in points can claim one Olympic quota for their National Olympic Committees (NOCs). Since the federation restricts each NOC from collecting more than one Olympic quota, six different countries will earn tickets in

Dec 4, 2015
Taekwondo fighters to compete for Rio Olympic spot
Sports

IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR GAME

Olazabal's Piston Stroke Is Pitch PerfectJose Maria Olazabal uses a piston-type pitching motion where the right elbow straightens as it applies force to the ball. This is a very accurate way to pitch because it satisfies two basic requirements of good pitching: (1) It produces an accelerated stroke, and (2) it keeps the face of the club on the swing arc.Note in the photograph how square the face of Olazabal's club is to the ball. If you use your imagination, you can visualize the ball reversing its flight and returning to the clubface, where it would sit directly in the middle of the face just as it did at both impact and address.Because Olazabal keeps his left arm and chest rotating, the piston stroke delivered by the right side does not collapse his left wrist, a move that would send the clubface flipping past his hands. The last thing you want in a pitch shot like this is to allow any kind of forearm rotation that would change the loft of your clubface. That's why I encourage my students to keep their right forearm pointing toward the sky during the downswing. This prevents the cl

Dec 2, 2015
IT'S GOOD FOR YOUR GAME
Sports

Taekwondo humanitarian foundation launches 1st pilot program

World Taekwondo Federation President Choue Chung-won, center in back row, poses with children, demonstration team members and other participants at the opening ceremony of a taekwondo academy in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp on Tuesday.  / Courtesy World Taekwondo FederationBy Nam Hyun-wooThe World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) launched a new humanitarian program to assist refugees in Jordan’s Zaatari camp, Tuesday (local time). The program is the first of two pilot programs initiated by the federation’s Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, which aims to help refugees around the world as well as instruct them in the combat sport. At the camp, some 70 kilometers northeast of the Jordanian capital of Amman, the WTF held an opening ceremony for a taekwondo academy, with a performance from its demonstration team to celebrate the launch. Attending the ceremony were WTF President Choue Chung-won, Mafraq Governor Ahmad Samara Al-Zu`bei, Zaatari camp head Col. Abdelrahman Al-Amoush and South Korean Ambassador to Jordan Choi Hong-ki.A member of the demonstration team, H

Dec 2, 2015
Taekwondo humanitarian foundation launches 1st pilot program
Sports

Tips to enjoy golf in winter

By Kim Jeong-kyooThe cold days of winter are drawing nearer. It’s time to give up going out to play golf and stay inside to avoid shivering in the cold. Still, you are brimming with your unrequited love for golf. The cold weather can’t stop you from leaving your home. You are ready to venture out for more golf. You prefer swinging your club outside to having hot coffee at home.The cold weather can invite varied troubles, to say nothing of inflicting bad shots on you. You need to be well aware that winter golf is different from summer golf. First, you are freezing cold. Your hands are cold. Your feet are cold. Your ears are cold. Your nose runs. Put differently, your whole body tightens up. Your muscles in the cold do not stay as loose as they would be in the summer.  Your golf ball is also cold and feels harder. You need to bring an extra club. If you’d normally use your 8-iron for a 135-yard shot, for instance, use your 7-iron instead. Cold, hard balls don't fly as far as warm balls.Warm up two golf balls before you leave for the first tee. Keep them in your p

Dec 2, 2015
Tips to enjoy golf in winter
Sports

Slugger Park signs $12 mil. deal with Twins

By Nam Hyun-wooPark Byung-hoKorean slugger Park Byung-ho, 29, has signed a four-year, $12 million contract with Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Minnesota Twins, the team announced Wednesday.The Twins will retain a $6.5 million option for 2020 with a $500,000 buyout, according to MLB.com.Should he make an at bat for the Twins, Park will become the 15th Korean to play in the big league.Park will receive a salary of $2.75 million in 2016 and 2017 and $3 million in 2018 and 2019. Should the Twins want Park to play for the club in 2020, they will have to pay him $6.5 million.Though the deal is deemed less lucrative for Park than expected, the Twins’ $12.85 million bid to Park’s former club, the Nexen Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), marked the second highest posting fee for an Asian player, following a $13.12 million from the Seattle Mariners for Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki in 2000.Park is often compared to his former teammate and compatriot Kang Jung-ho, who landed in the MLB last year.Kang signed a four-year, $11 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pir

Dec 2, 2015
Slugger Park signs $12 mil. deal with Twins
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