Cardinals' half-Korean pitcher O'Brien plans to pitch for S. Korea at WBC: report

Riley O'Brien, the half-Korean pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, plans to pitch for South Korea at the World Baseball Classic in March, a report out of St. Louis said Saturday (local time). Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said O'Brien, 30, accepted the invitation from the South Korean national team and is working on plans to travel to Japan, where South Korea will play all four opening-round games. The tournament goes from March 5 to 17. Thanks to loose eligibility rules for the

Jan. 18, 2026

Snowboard Choi Gaon earns 3rd World Cup title of season in Switzerland

Teen snowboarder Choi Gaon has claimed her third World Cup victory of the season, further solidifying her status as a medal contender at the Winter Olympics in Italy next month. Choi won the women's halfpipe title at the latest International Ski and Snowboard Federation World Cup event in Laax, Switzerland, on Saturday, with a score of 92.50 points. Rise Kudo of Japan finished second with 82.75 points, and Cai Xuetong of China took third place with 75.25 points. Choi, 17, had earlier won World C

Jan. 18, 2026

S. Korea beat Australia to reach semifinals at Asian U-23 football tournament

South Korea have advanced to the semifinals of the top Asian men's under-23 football tournament with a narrow win over Australia in Saudi Arabia. Baek Gaon and Shin Min-ha had a goal apiece to lift South Korea past Australia 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah on Saturday. Luka Jovanovic was the lone goal scorer for Australia. In the semifinals, South Korea will take on Japan, who defeated Jordan 4-2 on p

Jan. 18, 2026

S. Korean announcement of World Cup base camp postponed on FIFA recommendation

The South Korean football federation announced Saturday the announcement of the national team's base camp for this year's FIFA World Cup will be put on hold until further notice from the global governing body. The Korea Football Association (KFA) had been scheduled to reveal South Korea's base camp during the upcoming World Cup on Saturday. With the country scheduled to play all three group stage matches in Mexico, the Taegeuk Warriors were expected to set up their home away from home in the Nor

Jan. 17, 2026

Ex-KBO MVP Park Byung-ho hoping to become 'trusted' coach in post-playing career

Having wrapped up a two-decade playing career that included two MVP awards, six home run titles and a stint in Major League Baseball, retired slugger Park Byung-ho said Thursday he'd like to give himself full marks for things he did on the field. At 39, he is now ready for a fresh start as a minor league coach for the Kiwoom Heroes, one of his former teams in the Korea Baseball Organization and where he enjoyed his best years. "As a player, I want to give myself 100 points out of 100. I wasn't a

Jan. 15, 2026

S. Korea advance to quarterfinals of Asian U-23 football tournament

South Korea reached the quarterfinals of the top Asian men's under-23 football tournament despite a loss in their final group stage match in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Coached by Lee Min-sung, South Korea lost to Uzbekistan 2-0 to close out Group C play at the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Asian Cup at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium in Riyadh. Behruzjon Karimov had the match's first goal in the 48th minute and Saidumarkhon Saidnurullaev doubled Uzbekistan's lead in the 70th minute.

Jan. 13, 2026

[Graphic News] K League hits record gate revenue

The K League continued its surge in popularity for a third consecutive year, setting new records for both total gate receipts and average revenue per spectator in the 2025 season. The Korea Professional Football League announced that combined gate revenue from K League 1 and K League 2 reached 46.09 billion won ($31.4 million), the highest since official records began in 2013 and an 8.3 percent increase from 2024. Gate receipts have risen sharply over the past three years, from 34.4 billion won

Jan. 13, 2026

Top 2 players in men's tennis set for S. Korea clash

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, the two best players in men's tennis today who have been trading Grand Slam titles, will square off in an exhibition match in South Korea this weekend, a potential preview of the final in the year's first major later this month. Hyundai Card will pit the top-ranked Alcaraz against world No. 2 Sinner in its latest "Super Match" at Inspire Arena in Incheon, just west of Seoul, at 4 p.m. Saturday. This will be the first appearance in South Korea for both players an

Jan. 8, 2026

Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan headed to 3rd consecutive Olympics

Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan will compete at his third consecutive Winter Olympics next month in Italy. Cha won the men's singles title at the 80th National Figure Skating Championships at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul on Sunday with a total score of 277.84. Cha had 97.5 points in Saturday's short program and earned 180.34 points in the free skate Sunday. The nationals doubled as the second leg of the Olympic trials. The Korea Skating Union determined its Olympic-bound skaters -- two athletes each in

Jan. 4, 2026

Here’s a look at KBO’s foreign player lineups for the 2026 season

With the Korean Baseball League's 2026 season set to begin March 28, all 10 teams have now locked in their foreign player lineups, setting the stage for how the standings could shake out in the upcoming season. Here are some notable signings on the 2026 roster of foreign players. Top earners The highest-paid non-Korean set to play in the league next year is pitcher James Naile for the Kia Tigers. The 32-year-old has agreed to a one-year extension with the team, worth $2 million, including a $20

Dec. 30, 2025

After years in KBO obscurity, Song Sung-mun lands MLB deal with Padres

In an unlikely career arc sure to inspire those toiling in obscurity, South Korean baseball All-Star Song Sung-mun has landed a major league deal after being on the verge of flaming out as a bit player. The San Diego Padres announced their signing of Song to a four-year contract on Monday (local time). He is the 10th player from the Korea Baseball Organization to join a Major League Baseball club through the posting process. Song, 29, was the 49th overall pick by the Kiwoom Heroes at the 2014 KB

Dec. 23, 2025

Top-ranked doubles badminton team embracing weight of crown

They reigned supreme as the world's top men's badminton doubles team in 2025, and South Korea's Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae feel they are more than ready to keep carrying their crowns. Reunited as a tandem this year after seven years apart, Kim and Seo tied a single-season record with 11 international titles, including their first world championship together. And they put an exclamation point on their memorable season by winning the Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, Chin

Dec. 22, 2025

Badminton world beater An Se-young says best is yet to come

Already the most dominant force in women's badminton today at age 23, South Korean star An Se-young says her best is yet to come. An made a triumphant return home Monday, a day after capturing the women's singles title at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) World Tour Finals in Hangzhou, China. The top-ranked An defeated world No. 2 from China, Wang Zhiyi, by 2-1 (21-13, 18-21, 21-10) in the scintillating final that lasted 96 minutes. With the victory, An equaled former men's singles player Ken

Dec. 22, 2025

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

South 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 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

Dec. 21, 2025

Snowboarder Choi Gaon wins 2nd consecutive halfpipe World Cup title

Teen snowboarder Choi Gaon has won a World Cup title in the women's halfpipe for the second consecutive week. Choi finished first with 94.50 points in the latest International Ski Federation Snowboard World Cup stop in Copper Mountain, Colorado, on Friday (local time). The 17-year-old had also won a World Cup halfpipe title in China last week. Sena Tomita of Japan finished in second place with 88.75 points, followed by Bea Kim of the United States with 75.25 points. Chloe Kim, two-time Olympic g

Dec. 20, 2025