Suwon FC win promotion to K League 1, Kim Young-koung matches most popular in S. Korea
- 3 years ago
수원FC K리그 1 승격 확정...김연경•흥국생명 시청률, 국내 프로팀 1위
Time now for 'This Week in Sports' and for that we have our sports editor Paul Neat joining us in the studio. Paul, the domestic football season is now finished here in South Korea and it did so with a bit of last-minute drama?
Yes, it certainly did. And with VAR heavily involved…but Suwon FC have won promotion to K League 1.
Suwon finished second in the league, buying them a place in Sunday's playoff final against Gyeongnam. As the home team, Suwon only needed to draw. And they got that result thanks to a penalty in the 100th minute.
Following a VAR review, it was determined that Jung Seon-ho was fouled in the box by Kim Hyeong-won. Then…An Byong-jun stepped up to convert, cancelling out Choi Jun's first half goal.
Suwon return to the top flight after a four-year absence.
That's the last domestic football action of the year but the Asian Champions League group stages are still being played. How are the K League teams doing?
It has been mixed so far. Ulsan Hyundai lead their group, FC Seoul are second but Jeonbuk and Suwon Bluewings have work to do.
K League 1 and FA Cup runners up Ulsan Hyundai sit top of their group following back-to-back wins over Perth Glory last week.
A draw against FC Tokyo in tonight's match earns them a place in the knockout stages.
FC Seoul beat Thai League champions Chiangrai United 5-0 on Tuesday before suffering a 2-1 reverse on Friday night.
Seoul face group leaders Beijing Guoan tonight in their second to last group game.
However, it appears to be an uphill battle for both Jeonbuk and Suwon Bluewings. Jeonbuk simply have to beat Yokohama F. Marinos and Shanghai SIPG to stand a chance of reaching the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, the Bluewings need good results against Guangzhou Evergrande on Tuesday and Vissel Kobe on Friday to extend their continental campaign.
Switching to baseball, I understand that we could be seeing another Korean star in MLB?
Yes, that's right. We could be seeing a fifth or even sixth South Korean player in MLB next year.
That is because Kiwoom Heroes and NC Dinos have asked MLB to post one of their players to its 30 clubs.
The first is Kim Ha-seong from Kiwoom who been one of the best hitters in South Korean baseball for the past six seasons.
The other is Na Sung-bum from NC Dinos. Na appeared in 130 of 144 games this year with a career-high 34 home runs and 112 RBIs.
Any interested MLB team will be able to negotiate with the players during a 30-day period.
Meanwhile, on this Monday, KT Wiz outfielder Mel Rojas Junior was named this year's MVP. His teammate So Hyung-jun has been named as Rookie of the Year.
And finally, to women's volleyball. This year we saw the return of Kim Yeon-koung after many years in Europe. And it seems that domestic fans are very happy to see her back?
Yes, games are being played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Which means that fans are watching from home.
According to Nielsen Korea, games involving Kim's team
Time now for 'This Week in Sports' and for that we have our sports editor Paul Neat joining us in the studio. Paul, the domestic football season is now finished here in South Korea and it did so with a bit of last-minute drama?
Yes, it certainly did. And with VAR heavily involved…but Suwon FC have won promotion to K League 1.
Suwon finished second in the league, buying them a place in Sunday's playoff final against Gyeongnam. As the home team, Suwon only needed to draw. And they got that result thanks to a penalty in the 100th minute.
Following a VAR review, it was determined that Jung Seon-ho was fouled in the box by Kim Hyeong-won. Then…An Byong-jun stepped up to convert, cancelling out Choi Jun's first half goal.
Suwon return to the top flight after a four-year absence.
That's the last domestic football action of the year but the Asian Champions League group stages are still being played. How are the K League teams doing?
It has been mixed so far. Ulsan Hyundai lead their group, FC Seoul are second but Jeonbuk and Suwon Bluewings have work to do.
K League 1 and FA Cup runners up Ulsan Hyundai sit top of their group following back-to-back wins over Perth Glory last week.
A draw against FC Tokyo in tonight's match earns them a place in the knockout stages.
FC Seoul beat Thai League champions Chiangrai United 5-0 on Tuesday before suffering a 2-1 reverse on Friday night.
Seoul face group leaders Beijing Guoan tonight in their second to last group game.
However, it appears to be an uphill battle for both Jeonbuk and Suwon Bluewings. Jeonbuk simply have to beat Yokohama F. Marinos and Shanghai SIPG to stand a chance of reaching the Round of 16.
Meanwhile, the Bluewings need good results against Guangzhou Evergrande on Tuesday and Vissel Kobe on Friday to extend their continental campaign.
Switching to baseball, I understand that we could be seeing another Korean star in MLB?
Yes, that's right. We could be seeing a fifth or even sixth South Korean player in MLB next year.
That is because Kiwoom Heroes and NC Dinos have asked MLB to post one of their players to its 30 clubs.
The first is Kim Ha-seong from Kiwoom who been one of the best hitters in South Korean baseball for the past six seasons.
The other is Na Sung-bum from NC Dinos. Na appeared in 130 of 144 games this year with a career-high 34 home runs and 112 RBIs.
Any interested MLB team will be able to negotiate with the players during a 30-day period.
Meanwhile, on this Monday, KT Wiz outfielder Mel Rojas Junior was named this year's MVP. His teammate So Hyung-jun has been named as Rookie of the Year.
And finally, to women's volleyball. This year we saw the return of Kim Yeon-koung after many years in Europe. And it seems that domestic fans are very happy to see her back?
Yes, games are being played behind closed doors due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Which means that fans are watching from home.
According to Nielsen Korea, games involving Kim's team