Journalist

Kang Sang Heon
  • Ko Ji-won Wins Inaugural The Siena Open for Third KLPGA Title
    Ko Ji-won Wins Inaugural The Siena Open for Third KLPGA Title Ko Ji-won captured the Korean Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour’s 2026 domestic season opener on Saturday. Ko shot a 1-over 73 in the final round of the The Siena Open at The Siena Belluto Country Club (par 72) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, with two birdies and three bogeys. She finished at 13-under 275, edging runner-up Seo Gyo-rim, last year’s rookie of the year, by one stroke (12-under 276). Ko became the inaugural champion of the newly created event and earned 180 million won from the 1 billion won ($?) total purse. Ko debuted on the KLPGA Tour in 2023. After competing as a conditional entrant, she won for the first time at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in August last year, securing her tour card through the 2027 season. She added a second title in November at the S-OIL Championship. Saturday’s victory was her first on the mainland, after both of her previous wins came in her hometown of Jeju Island. She also made a hole-in-one Friday on the par-3 seventh and became the 10th player to win a tournament in which she recorded an ace. “I’m really happy to start the domestic season with a good result,” Ko said. “Both the hole-in-one and winning on the mainland are firsts for me. Having so many firsts makes me even happier. After I won twice in Jeju, people kept telling me to win on the mainland, too. I’m glad my first mainland win came at The Siena Belluto Country Club.” Ko missed the cut last month at the Rejuran Championship in Thailand, the KLPGA Tour’s first event of the year. She led from the opening round of the domestic opener and stayed on top through all four rounds for a wire-to-wire win. “At the season opener, my putting felt like it was only about 20% of what I wanted,” she said. “This week it was up to about 60%. In between, I really focused on putting practice.” Ko traded birdies and bogeys on the back nine while holding the lead. She stumbled with consecutive bogeys at the par-4 13th and 14th, then steadied herself by sinking a birdie putt of about 3 meters at the par-5 16th. She bogeyed the par-3 17th after finding a greenside bunker, allowing the margin to shrink to one again. On the par-4 18th, Seo’s birdie try from about 5 meters missed, and Ko calmly saved par to seal the one-shot victory. Recalling the two straight bogeys, Ko said, “After the first bogey, I thought, ‘A mistake was bound to happen at some point,’ so I actually felt lighter. But after the second bogey, I think I got a little shaken. Then I thought, ‘I’ve made all my mistakes for today,’ and I felt comfortable again.” Ko said her three career wins have given her confidence. “Before my first win, I didn’t think I was a player who could win,” she said. “I wanted to win, but I felt like I had too many shortcomings and it seemed far away. After winning once, I gained confidence. It makes me want to keep challenging myself. That confidence is the biggest thing.” With the victory, Ko matched the career win total of her older sister, Ko Ji-woo. “I’m happy to catch up to my sister’s win total,” she said. “But all my wins are thanks to her. She taught me a lot, and I think that’s why I could do it. In that sense, I think she has six wins.” Ko added that she expects her sister to be motivated by the result and hopes they can push each other while adding to their totals. Looking ahead, Ko said she wants to top last year’s two-win season and is aiming to win the Korea Women’s Open in June. Rookie Yang Hyo-jin finished alone in third at 10-under 278. Amateur Kim Seo-a, born in 2012 and a student at Sinseong Middle School, shot 9-under 279 to tie for fourth with Cho A-yeon. Park Sung-hyun, the world No. 1 who played on an invitation, finished tied for 13th at 5-under 283. Last year’s grand prize winner Yoo Hyun-jo finished tied for 26th at 2-under 286, and last year’s money leader Hong Jung-min tied for 53rd at 4-over 292. 2026-04-05 17:42:00
  • Ko Ji-won wins inaugural The Siena Open for third KLPGA Tour title
    Ko Ji-won wins inaugural The Siena Open for third KLPGA Tour title Ko Ji-won won the KLPGA Tour’s 2026 domestic season opener, capturing the inaugural The Siena Open title for her third career victory. Ko shot a 1-over 73 on April 5 in the final round at The Siena Belluto Country Club (par 72) in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, with two birdies and three bogeys. She finished at 13-under 275 to edge runner-up Seo Gyo-rim, last year’s rookie of the year, by one stroke (12-under 276). The newly created event carried a total purse of 1 billion won, and Ko earned 180 million won for the win. Ko debuted on the KLPGA Tour in 2023. After competing last year as a conditional entrant, she won her first title at the Jeju Samdasoo Masters in August, securing her tour card through the 2027 season. She added a second victory in November at the S-OIL Championship. After missing the cut at the Rejuran Championship in Thailand last month, Ko took the lead on the first day of the domestic opener and stayed on top through all four rounds to complete a wire-to-wire victory. In the back nine of the final round, Ko traded birdies and bogeys while holding the lead. She stumbled with consecutive bogeys at Nos. 13 and 14, but turned momentum with a birdie putt of about 3 meters on the par-5 16th. She bogeyed the par-3 17th after finding a greenside bunker, allowing the margin to shrink to one shot again. Ko did not give up the lead. On the par-4 18th, Seo missed a birdie putt of about 5 meters, while Ko calmly saved par to seal the one-stroke win. Tour rookie Yang Hyo-jin finished alone in third at 10-under 278. Amateur Kim Seo-a, born in 2012 and a student at Sinseong Middle School, tied for fourth with Cho A-yeon at 9-under 279. World No. 1 Park Sung-hyun, playing on an invitation, finished tied for 13th at 5-under 283. Last year’s KLPGA grand prize winner Yoo Hyun-jo tied for 26th at 2-under 286, and last year’s money leader Hong Jung-min tied for 53rd at 4-over 292. 2026-04-05 16:33:00
  • GS Caltex beats Korea Expressway Corp. to win fourth V-League women’s title, first in five years
    GS Caltex beats Korea Expressway Corp. to win fourth V-League women’s title, first in five years GS Caltex won its fourth women’s V-League championship title on Saturday, beating Korea Expressway Corp. in the best-of-five finals. GS Caltex defeated Korea Expressway Corp. 3-1 (25-15, 19-25, 25-20, 25-20) in Game 3 of the 2025-2026 V-League women’s championship series at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul. After winning Games 1 and 2 at Gimcheon Gymnasium, GS Caltex clinched the title in its first home match of the series, completing a three-game sweep over the regular-season champion. It was GS Caltex’s fourth championship-series crown, following titles in 2007-2008, 2013-2014 and 2020-2021. The club returned to the top for the first time in five years, since the 2020-2021 season. With the win, GS Caltex moved into second place on the league’s all-time championship list. Heungkuk Life has the most titles with five. GS Caltex finished third in the regular season but went unbeaten in the postseason. It first eliminated Heungkuk Life in the league’s first-ever women’s semifinals (junior playoff), then swept Hyundai E&C 2-0 in the playoffs before going 3-0 against Korea Expressway Corp. in the finals. The run gave GS Caltex a 6-0 postseason record and an undefeated championship. A third-place regular-season team has now won the championship series four times: GS Caltex in 2007-2008 (3-1), Heungkuk Life in 2008-2009 (3-1), Korea Expressway Corp. in 2022-2023 (3-2), and GS Caltex again this season. GS Caltex also set several firsts in this postseason: the first third-place team to sweep the championship series 3-0, the first team to win the championship after playing in the junior playoff, and the first third-place team to win the finals without a loss. Silva anchored the title run. She scored 42 points against Heungkuk Life in the junior playoff, then had 40 and 32 points in Games 1 and 2 of the playoffs against Hyundai E&C. In the finals, she posted 33 points in Game 1 and 35 in Game 2, then added 36 points in Game 3 while playing through an injury. She averaged 36.3 points over six postseason matches.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-05 16:12:00
  • Son Heung-min records 4 assists in one match, leads MLS assist race
    Son Heung-min records 4 assists in one match, leads MLS assist race LAFC's Son Heung-min delivered four assists in the first half to lead his team to a lopsided win in Major League Soccer. Son started and recorded assists Nos. 8 through 11 of the season in LAFC's 6-0 home victory over Orlando City in the sixth round of the 2026 MLS season on April 5 (Korean time) at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. It was the first time in his career he has had four assists in a single match. With the performance, Son moved into sole possession of the MLS lead in assists this season and raised his total goal contributions to 12 (one goal, 11 assists). He did not score, however. Son has gone nine straight official matches without a goal since his season opener on Feb. 18, when he had one goal and three assists in a 6-1 win over Espana (Honduras) in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. That goal came from the penalty spot, and he still has no non-penalty goal this year. Son started as the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 and helped force an own goal in the seventh minute, sending in a low cross from the right that deflected off a defender and into the net. From the 20th minute, Son combined repeatedly with Denis Bouanga of Gabon, setting up three goals by the 28th minute. On a counterattack in the 20th, Son slipped a through ball into space behind the defense for Bouanga, who finished with a right-footed chip. Three minutes later, Son played a long pass to Bouanga, who curled a right-footed shot from inside the penalty area to make it 3-0. In the 28th, Son threaded a well-timed pass near the box and Bouanga ran onto it to score again. Son completed his four-assist half by setting up fullback Sergi Palencia of Spain in the 38th minute. Son played until the 57th minute before being substituted. Soccer statistics site FotMob gave Son a match-high rating of 9.8. 2026-04-05 14:51:00
  • Oh Soo-min Takes Third at Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Best Finish by a South Korean
    Oh Soo-min Takes Third at Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Best Finish by a South Korean Oh Soo-min of Shinseong High School finished third at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, the best result by a South Korean player in the event’s history. Oh shot a 4-under 68 with four birdies in the final round on April 5 (Korea time) at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, a par-72 course. She ended the tournament at 9-under 207 to take sole possession of third place. The previous best finish by a South Korean player was a tie for fifth by Lim Ji-yu in 2023. “I was happy just to make it to the final round. Just playing at Amen Corner made me feel good. I wanted to take in those moments,” Oh said. “I think this experience will help me a lot.” Yang Yun-seo, also in the field, tied for fourth at 8-under 208. Kim Gyu-bin tied for 15th at 4-under 212, and Park Seo-jin tied for 27th at even-par 216. Colombia’s Jose Marin won the title at 14-under 202. The tournament, founded in 2019, began with 72 players who played the first two rounds at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Georgia. After the second round, the top 30 took a day off before playing the final round at Augusta National, home of the Masters. If the winner remains an amateur, she can compete in the event for the next five years and receives invitations to women’s major championships in that season.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-05 14:06:00
  • Prain Sports golfers target new-season wins after 63 tour victories, 36.8 billion won in prize money
    Prain Sports golfers target new-season wins after 63 tour victories, 36.8 billion won in prize money Prain Sports golfers are gearing up for the start of South Korea’s men’s and women’s tours, with 22 players set to begin their push for titles. Active players under the management company have combined for 63 wins on the top-tier KLPGA and KPGA tours and about 36.8 billion won in career prize money — an unusually large total for a single agency. Sixteen players are preparing to compete on the KLPGA Tour this season: Lee Jeong-min, Lee Ju-mi, Park Ji-young, Park Gyeol, Han Jin-seon, Park Bo-gyeom, Kim Sae-ro-mi, Ma Da-som, Seong Eun-jeong, Im Hee-jeong, Lee Seul-gi2, Kim Ga-hee2, Kim A-ro-mi, Bong Seung-hee, Jo Ian and Jeong Min-seo. Park Bo-gyeom (Samchully), the winner of last year’s Blue Canyon Ladies Championship, is aiming for a fourth straight season with a victory. “Winning the season opener last year helped me finish the season with good momentum,” she said. “This year, too, I want to win and show fans a good side of me.” Im Hee-jeong (Doosan E&C), who returned from injury and posted eight top-10 finishes last season, trained in Melbourne, Australia, with Shin Ji-ae. “I focused on improving my putting and course management,” Im said. “I have five career wins now, and I want to get my sixth and keep my promise to give gifts to six fans.” Others are looking to rebound. Ma Da-som (Samchully) and Park Ji-young (Korea Land Trust), who each won three times in 2024, are seeking to rejoin the title race. “There were moments last year that left me disappointed, but it was also time to reflect and improve,” Ma said. “I want to bring back the good flow I showed in 2024 and contend with steady play.” Seong Eun-jeong, a former national team player, is set to debut on the KLPGA regular tour as a late-starting rookie and will compete for rookie of the year honors. On the men’s side, Song Min-hyeok (Dong-A Pharmaceutical), the KPGA rookie of the year for the 2024 season, and former national team player Park Jun-hong are targeting their first career wins. On the LPGA Tour, Lim Jin-hee (Shinhan Financial Group) is aiming for another victory after finishing third at the Fortinet Founders Cup, which ended March 23. Amateur prospects have also posted notable results. Oh Su-min (Hana Financial Group) finished runner-up at the Ford Women’s NSW Open on the Ladies European Tour in March. Park Seo-jin (Korea Land Trust) and Ahn Hae-cheon (Woori Financial Group) won together at the Taiwan Amateur Championship. Prain Sports CEO Kim Pyeong-gi said results come from sustained effort over time. “Just as people say investment is not about timing but about time, in sports it’s not a single result — effort and experience accumulated over time ultimately create performance,” he said. “The records of 63 wins and 36.8 billion won are also the result of each player’s time.” He added, “This year as well, we will stay with them to the end so they can keep building their time and produce meaningful results.”* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-02 17:45:47
  • South Korea Drops to No. 25 in FIFA Rankings After Two Losses in March Friendlies
    South Korea Drops to No. 25 in FIFA Rankings After Two Losses in March Friendlies South Korea fell three places to No. 25 in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings after losing both of its March internationals. FIFA announced the updated standings on April 1 (Korea time). South Korea had been No. 22 in the first rankings release of the year in January. The national team coached by Hong Myung-bo was routed 4-0 by Ivory Coast on March 28 and then lost 1-0 to Austria on April 1, results that contributed to the drop. Japan, the highest-ranked Asian team, moved up one spot to No. 18 from No. 19 after 1-0 wins over Scotland and England during the same international window. Mexico, which will face South Korea in Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, rose one place to No. 15. Mexico drew 0-0 with Portugal and 1-1 with Belgium. The Czech Republic, which reached the World Cup finals for the first time in 20 years by advancing through the UEFA playoffs, climbed two places to No. 41. It beat Ireland and Denmark on penalty shootouts. South Africa, the lowest-ranked team in Group A, stayed at No. 60 after a 1-1 draw and a 2-1 loss in two matches against Panama in March. At the top, France moved from third to first after beating Colombia 3-1, while Spain, the previous No. 1, drew Egypt 0-0 and slipped to second. Argentina is third.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-02 09:30:46
  • Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young Sends Condolences on Death of North Korea’s Chang Ung
    Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young Sends Condolences on Death of North Korea’s Chang Ung Choi Hwi-young, South Korea’s minister of culture, sports and tourism, expressed condolences over the death of Chang Ung, a former honorary member of the International Olympic Committee. In a condolence message issued Tuesday, Choi said he was “deeply saddened” by the news and credited Chang with dedicating his life to advancing the Olympic movement and promoting sport, making “meaningful contributions” to international sports. Choi added that Chang’s efforts to build friendship and mutual understanding through sport — and to spread the value of peace on the Korean Peninsula — would be long remembered. The ministry said it plans to deliver the message to the North Korean Olympic Committee via the IOC. According to the IOC, Chang died March 29 at age 87. The IOC said it would fly the Olympic flag at half-staff for three days at Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland. Chang was elected an IOC member at the 1996 IOC session and for more than 20 years served as a key international sports diplomat representing North Korea. He also played a role in improving inter-Korean relations through sport. Chang took a leading role in inter-Korean sports talks in 1986, and at the 1991 World Table Tennis Championships in Chiba, Japan, he served as the North’s chair of the working-level committee that helped form a unified Korean team. He also played an important role in the joint North-South march at the opening ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics and the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-01 18:00:00
  • South Korea Requests Police Probe Into 186 Suspected KBO Ticket Scalping Posts
    South Korea Requests Police Probe Into 186 Suspected KBO Ticket Scalping Posts The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday it has asked police to investigate 186 online posts suspected of high-priced or large-volume scalping of tickets as the 2026 KBO League season opened and illegal resales increased. The ministry said its reporting and monitoring found about 16,000 posts related to scalping in recent weeks. Around the March 28-29 opening games, it detected transactions priced as high as 13 times face value. It also said it found multiple signs of organized activity, including accounts securing large blocks of seats for resale. Based on indicators such as bulk or adjacent-seat sales, excessive markups and repeated transactions by the same account, the ministry analyzed cases and referred them to the National Police Agency for investigation. The ministry said it considers scalping a serious illegal act that undermines fair access for fans. It said it is continuously monitoring online sales centered on the Korea Professional Sports Association’s “Online Ticket Scalping Report Center,” analyzing seat details, terms of sale, repeat-account activity, markup levels and duplicate postings across platforms to identify suspicious cases. To address the problem more broadly, the ministry said it is combining legal changes with on-the-ground measures. Under revisions to the National Sports Promotion Act — promulgated Feb. 27, 2026, and set to take effect Aug. 28 — all unfair ticket transactions are banned regardless of whether macros are used. The changes also allow penalties of up to 50 times the sales amount and introduce a reward system for reports, sharply increasing punishment levels. The ministry said a public-private consultative body on preventing ticket scalping for performances and sports was launched March 5 with the National Police Agency, the Fair Trade Commission, the pro sports association, the Korea Baseball Organization, ticketing services and secondhand trading platforms. It said the group is building cooperation on monitoring, information sharing and public outreach, while encouraging voluntary steps such as removing posts, restricting transactions and strengthening abnormal-transaction detection systems, alongside anti-scalping campaigns online and at stadiums. The KBO and clubs are also working with police to step up on-site crackdowns and are running ongoing messages through websites, stadium video boards and banners, the ministry said. Clubs are tightening controls by sanctioning improper use of season tickets and memberships and canceling tickets or restricting use when booking policies are violated. Culture Minister Choe Hwi-young said, “Scalping is not a simple transaction between individuals, but a clear illegal act that undermines fairness in the sports industry and infringes on the public’s right to attend.” He added, “With this revision to the National Sports Promotion Act, scalping is no longer something that is tolerated, but a serious violation subject to heavy penalties. Even before the law takes effect, we will respond proactively by mobilizing all available administrative and investigative tools.” Choe also said, “There are limits to what government enforcement alone can do, and a change in public awareness is essential,” urging the public to take part in efforts to eradicate scalping.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-01 17:30:00
  • Kim Hyo-joo Chases Third Straight LPGA Win at Aramco Championship
    Kim Hyo-joo Chases Third Straight LPGA Win at Aramco Championship 최근 절정의 샷감을 이어가고 있는 김효주가 3주 연속 미국여자프로골프(LPGA) 투어 우승에 도전한다. 김효주는 오는 3일(이하 한국시간)부터 6일까지 나흘간 미국 네바다주 라스베이거스의 섀도 크리크 골프코스(파72)에서 열리는 LPGA 투어 아람코 챔피언십(총상금 400만 달러)에 출전한다. Kim has been in top form. At the Fortinet Founders Cup, held March 20-23, she finished at 16-under 272 to edge Nelly Korda of the United States by one stroke for her eighth career LPGA title. She followed that by winning the Ford Championship, played March 27-30, posting 28-under 260 and beating Korda by two shots to claim her second straight victory. With her first multiwin season, Kim now has nine LPGA victories, moving into a tie for sixth among South Korean players. She also climbed to No. 3 in the women’s world ranking released March 31, up from No. 4 the previous week. She leads the CME Globe points race (1,268 points), season earnings ($939,640) and player of the year points (69). After winning the Ford Championship, Kim said, “My goal this season was two wins, and I already achieved it. I think I need to set a new goal.” Her next target is a third straight win. If she captures the Aramco Championship, it would be the first time in 13 years that a South Korean player has won three consecutive LPGA events, since Park In-bee did it in 2013. Park won the Wegmans Championship, Walmart NW Arkansas Championship and the U.S. Women’s Open in succession that June. A victory in Las Vegas would also give Kim three wins in a single season, a mark last reached by a South Korean player when Ko Jin-young won five times in 2021. Across the LPGA Tour, it would be the first three-tournament winning streak in two years, since Korda did it in March and April 2024. It would also make Kim the sixth South Korean player to reach 10 LPGA wins, joining Pak Se-ri (25), Park In-bee (21), Ko (15), Kim Sei-young (13) and Shin Ji-yai (11). Kim’s world ranking points total is 6.71, trailing No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand (10.81) and No. 2 Korda (8.44). The rankings are based on results over the past two years. The field includes Thitikul and Korda, along with Charley Hull of Britain, who has slipped to No. 4, No. 5 Minjee Lee of Australia, No. 6 Miyu Yamashita of Japan, No. 7 Lydia Ko of New Zealand, No. 8 Hannah Green of Australia and No. 9 Lottie Woad of England. South Koreans in the field include world No. 10 Kim Sei-young, No. 13 Yoo Hae-ran, No. 15 Choi Hye-jin, this season’s Blue Bay LPGA winner Lee Mi-hyang, plus Kim A-lim, Hwang Yu-min, Ko Jin-young, Lee So-mi, Im Jin-hee, Shin Ji-eun and Yoon Ina.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-04-01 14:57:00