Suspended natl. Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung noncommittal on 3rd term despite clearance

The national Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung said Wednesday he was not yet prepared to make a decision on whether to run for his third term at the helm of the top sports body, despite being given clearance to do so by his own organization this week. Lee, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), returned home from Switzerland, where he had attended the World Union of Olympic Cities Sport Summit earlier in the week. He decided to come home a day earlier than initially scheduled. D

Nov. 13, 2024

Court grants figure skater injunction to pause ban over sexual harassment charges

A Seoul court on Tuesday granted an injunction sought by figure skater Lee Hae-in to pause a three-year ban issued by the national skating federation over sexual harassment charges. The Seoul Eastern District Court sided with Lee, who is now eligible to compete. Lee, the 2023 world silver medalist, was suspended for three years by the Korea Skating Union (KSU) in June, with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) confirming it two months later, over an incident that took place during a n

Nov. 12, 2024

Incumbent S. Korean Olympic chief allowed to run for 3rd term despite suspension

The incumbent South Korean Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung was granted an opportunity to run for a third term on Tuesday, despite the cloud of a recent government-issued suspension looming large over his head. The Commission for Fair Play in Sport at the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) approved Lee's application to run for a third term as head of the KSOC on Jan. 14, 2025. Lee, 69, was first elected to the top KSOC post in September 2016 and won reelection in 2021. Per KSOC statutes

Nov. 12, 2024

Natl. Olympic chief faces uncertain future following suspension

Having been suspended by the sports ministry over alleged misconduct, the South Korean Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung faces an uncertain future as he seeks a third term at the helm of the top national sports body. The sports ministry announced late Monday it had suspended Lee's duties as president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. This came a day after the ethics inspection team under the Office for Government Policy Coordination had said it would ask police to investigate Lee, amon

Nov. 12, 2024

Ministry suspends duties of sports body chief over alleged misconduct

The culture and sports ministry said Monday it has suspended the duties of Lee Kee-heung, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, over suspected misconduct. On Sunday, the ethics inspection team under the Office for Government Policy Coordination announced it asked the police to investigate Lee and other sports officials for alleged improper conduct, such as improper hiring practices and misuse of funds. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it requested a swift inves

Nov. 11, 2024

Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji announces break amid hate comments

South Korean pistol shooter Kim Ye-ji, who won a silver medal at the Summer Olympics, announced she will be taking a break from competitive shooting to focus on her family, a decision reportedly affected by a surge of criticisms online after achieving stardom following the Paris Games. Kim’s agency Plfil said Wednesday that Kim had terminated her contract early with her team, Imsil County Office, as there are no upcoming competitions for the remainder of the year. “I would like to br

Nov. 8, 2024

Badminton champ An Se-young granted temporary right to wear shoes of her choice

In a “limited and exceptional freedom” granted, South Korean badminton champion An Se-young can wear the shoes of her choice at the Denmark Open tournament, which opened Tuesday. The Badminton Korea Association’s decision on Monday exempts the Paris Olympic gold medalist from the obligation to choose footwear exclusively from brands that have signed sponsorship deals with the association. The exemption applies exclusively to An and only for the Denmark Open. It follows An&rsq

Oct. 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] Hanwha Life Esports aims high with 2024 LoL Worlds

Hanwha Life Esports completed its David-and-Goliath story and shocked many spectators by defeating Gen.G in the League of Legends Champions Korea Summer finals, winning the title for the first time in September. Not only did HLE upset the team expected to win gold this year, but its victory ended T1 and Gen.G's dominance in the LCK finals, with the two teams having enjoyed a total of five consecutive championship victories since 2022. But Choi “Dandy” In-gyu, the head coach for

Oct. 2, 2024

Third-seeded Haddad Maia wins Korea Open tennis title

Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil pulled off a strong comeback for her first WTA title of the season in Seoul on Sunday. The third-seeded Haddad Maia defeated Daria Kasatkina, the top seed from Russia, 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, to win the Korea Open at Olympic Park Tennis Center. Haddad Maia, world No. 17, now has four career WTA singles titles, thanks to an impressive rally on the heels of a lethargic first set. Kasatkina, world No. 13, won the opening frame in just 26 minutes, and won especially easy points

Sept. 22, 2024

High jumper Woo Sang-hyeok finishes 3rd in Diamond League Final title defense

South Korean high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok has finished third in the Diamond League Final, coming up short in his title defense at the prestigious athletics competition in Belgium. Woo ranked third among six high jumpers after clearing 2.25 meters at King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on Saturday (local time). Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy won the title at 2.34m, followed by Oleh Doroshchuk of Ukraine at 2.31m. The Diamond League Final is an exclusive-field event, open only to the best-performing athle

Sept. 15, 2024

S. Korea finishes Paris Paralympics with 6 gold medals

The Paris Paralympics have drawn to a conclusion, with South Korea having surpassed its gold medal target. South Korea finished the 12-day competition that ended Sunday in 22nd place with six gold medals, 10 silver medals and 14 bronze medals. The Korea Paralympic Committee, which sent 177 athletes and coaches to Paris, had set out to win five gold medals. At the previous Paralympics in Tokyo in 2021, South Korea had managed only two gold medals, its fewest total in over four decades. Half of th

Sept. 9, 2024

Korea picks up 2 silver medals at Paris Paralympics

PARIS (Yonhap) -- South Korea has collected two silver medals at the Paris Paralympics as the competition enters its final weekend. Yoon Ji-yu grabbed silver in the women's singles (WS3 classification) in para table tennis at South Paris Arena 4 on Friday, after losing to Andela Muzinic Vincetic of Croatia in the final by the score of 3-2 (11-7 11-8, 10-12, 10-12, 13-11). After dropping the first two games, Yoon battled back to take the next two. She held a gold medal point in the deciding

Sept. 7, 2024

Shooter Park Jin-ho wins 2nd gold at Paris Paralympics

Shooter Park Jin-ho has become South Korea's first double gold medalist of the Paris Paralympics. Park won the men's 50-meter rifle 3 positions (SH1 classification) title with the Paralympic record score of 454.6 points at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, south of Paris, on Tuesday. Dong Chao of China finished with 451.8 points for silver. Park had earlier won the 10m air rifle standing gold medal. In the 50m 3 positions event, shooters competed in kneeling, prone and st

Sept. 4, 2024

Jeong shines again with gold in Paralympics' boccia

At South Paris Arena 1, in Paris, Monday, South Korean boccia athlete Jeong Ho-won carefully surveyed the playing field from his wheelchair, as the referee, ruler in hand, measured the distances between the lined-up balls. In boccia, where winners are determined by how close their balls land to a target ball, called the jack, every fraction of an inch matters. As the referee's call all but guaranteed his win, Jeong cast aside his eye blinder and rushed to embrace his visibly emotional coach

Sept. 3, 2024

China's Lu ends badminton title drought at Korea Open

China's Lu Guangzu won his first title on badminton's world tour in six years when he beat Taiwan's Lee Chia-hao in the Korea Open final on Sunday. World number 13 Lu, the tournament's number seven seed, came through a hard-fought tussle 21-16, 20-22, 21-18 to lift his first trophy since the Canada Open in 2018. World number 30 Lee was unseeded in Seoul. China's world number one Shi Yuqi was eliminated in the quarter-finals, while Denmark's Viktor Axelsen, who won h

Sept. 1, 2024

Markswoman Kim Ye-ji exudes ‘main character energy’ in Louis Vuitton shoot

South Korean sharpshooter Kim Ye-ji, whose effortless cool-heroine vibe catapulted her to internet fame, has seamlessly transitioned from Olympic medalist to high-fashion model. Korean fashion magazine W Korea released a photo shoot online Sunday featuring Kim in Louis Vuitton garments, complemented by props like shooting glasses and air pistols that help maintain her sharpshooter persona in her debut modeling gig. In a set of 10 photos, the 31-year-old embodies the "main character energy

Sept. 1, 2024

Shooter wins S. Korea's 2nd gold at Paris Paralympics

Shooter Park Jin-ho won South Korea's second gold medal of the Paris Paralympics on Saturday, winning the men's 10-meter air rifle standing SH1 event. Park scored 249.4 points for the gold at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, south of Paris, beating Yerkin Gabbasov of Kazakhstan who scored 247.7 points. South Korea has won four medals at the Paris Paralympics in shooting alone, including pistol shooter Jo Jeong-du's gold in the men's 10-meter air pistol event on

Sept. 1, 2024

Rifle shooter Lee Yun-ri grabs silver for S. Korea's 1st medal at Paris Paralympics

Rifle shooter Lee Yun-ri won silver in the women's 10-meter air rifle standing event Friday for South Korea's first medal of the Paris Paralympics. Lee finished in second place with 246.8 points at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre in Chateauroux, south of Paris. Avani Lekhara of India won the gold medal with 249.7 points, and Mona Agarwal of India won bronze with 228.7 points. Lee led Lekhara by 0.8 point with one shot remaining but hit a 6.8 to hand the gold medal to the Indian athlete

Aug. 30, 2024

Top sports body upholds ban on figure skater over sexual harassment charges

The top South Korean sports body on Friday upheld an earlier ban on a female figure skater over allegations she had sexually harassed an underage male teammate, rejecting her claims that she couldn't have harassed him because they were in a romantic relationship. The Fair Play Commission at the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee confirmed the three-year ban issued by the Korea Skating Union in June on Lee Hae-in, the women's singles silver medalist at the 2023 world championships. Th

Aug. 30, 2024

Paris Paralympic Games begin with 1st outdoor opening ceremony; S. Korea eyes return to top 20

The 17th Summer Paralympic Games began with the first outdoor opening ceremony in the competition's history in Paris on Wednesday night, as the French capital welcomed athletes with disabilities under the motto, "Games Wide Open." Paris had also held the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics outside a stadium for the first time, with athletes riding boats down the iconic Seine River. On Thursday, Paralympians marched down the famous Champs-Elysee and toward Place de la Concorde

Aug. 29, 2024