Sports briefs

FOOTBALL

MVP Lee signs two year extension with Jeonbuk

The 2015 K-League Classic MVP Lee Dong-gook has signed a two-year contract extension with his club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the club said on Tuesday. The financial details were not announced.

The 36-year-old striker, who joined Jeonbuk in 2009, will now stay with the four-time K-League champions until 2017. Lee has played 225 games with Jeonbuk, scoring 116 goals and delivering 37 assists.

This year, Lee bagged 13 goals and five assists for Jeonbuk to aid the team’s successful league title defense. He was named MVP, and also included in the K-League Classic Best 11 in the forward category.

Lee, who previously played for Pohang Steelers and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, is the all-time leading scorer in the K-League with 180 goals.

Kim set to move to Chinese second division club Yanbian

Pohang Steelers forward Kim Seung-dae is set to move to Chinese club Yanbian Changbaishan FC.

The Steelers, who finished third in the K-League Classic, said on Tuesday that two teams have reached an agreement and Kim’s transfer is awaiting a medical checkup.

Kim, whose nickname is “line breaker” for his penetration on opponent’s defense, will join Yanbian’s Korean coach Park Tae-ha and forward Ha Tae-goon who was top scorer in the Chinese second division.

Kim, 24, was the K-League Young Player of the Year in 2014 after getting 10 goals and eight assists. This season, he gathered eight goals and four assists.

Meanwhile, Yanbian is also negotiating with Jeju United to sign midfielder Yoon Bitgaram.

On Monday, Chinese club Chongquing Lifan FC signed Chang Woe-ryong, former vice technical director at Korea Football Association, as its new coach.

HANDBALL

Women draw with France
in world championships

The Korea women’s handball team drew 22-22 against France on Tuesday (Korean time) in their Group C match at the Women’s World Handball Championship in Denmark.

Korea, which already qualified for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, was tied 11-11 at half time against France, the runner-up in 2009 and 2011 tournament. The team trailed three goals three minutes left to the game, but tied at the end.

This was second straight draw for Korea following its 24-24 draw against defending champion Brazil on Sunday. Korea, whose only World Championship medal was a bronze in 2003, will play against Democratic Republic of Congo today.

By Joo Kyung-don