Sports Briefs

FOOTBALL

Hwang Ui-jo will make Osaka his new home

Seongnam FC striker Hwang Ui-jo will move to Japan’s Gamba, Osaka, his second division Korean club announced Tuesday.

The K-League Challenge side said they’ve reached an agreement with Gamba on Hwang’s transfer. The 24-year-old striker will join the J-League outfit on a two-year contract, but the clubs didn’t announce the financial details of the deal.

Hwang made his pro debut with Seongnam in 2013 and has been one of the top stars for the seven-time first division winners. He made a name in the league in 2015 after scoring 15 goals in 34 matches. But he struggled to impress further as Seongnam suffered second division relegation after the 2016 season.

Hwang originally planned a move to Japan last year, but decided to stay with Seongnam following new head coach Park Kyung-hoon’s request. Hwang is contracted with Seongnam until end of this season. He has netted four goals in 17 matches for Seongnam in the K-League Challenge.

Hwang made his national team debut in September 2015. He has scored one goal in nine matches for Korea.

OLYMPICS

Government to promote PyeongChang in New York

Korea’s state-run tourism promotion body said Tuesday it will hold various events in New York this week to promote the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the Korea, PyeongChang Festival in New York from Thursday to Saturday.

The events to be held include introducing Korean cuisine to the media, opening a promotion booth at Times Square in New York City and holding a discussion session with industry officials to attract more American visitors to the Olympics which will kick off in Korea on Feb. 8 next year for a 17-day run, the KTO said.

The tourism agency also plans to open a booth during KCON New York - the global Korean pop music and culture convention arranged by CJ E&M.

The convention will take place in Newark, New Jersey, from Friday to Saturday.

Yonhap