Sport in South Korea - Popular Sports

Popular Sports

Football is one of the most popular sports in South Korea. South Korea, which competes internationally under the name of "Korea Republic", has qualified for eight FIFA World Cup finals including the most recent 2010 tournament (Asian record), and co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, finishing in 4th place. Also in 2010, the country's under-17 women's team won the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago, claiming South Korea's first-ever title in worldwide FIFA competition. The K-League is the oldest domestic professional football league in Asia. A huge number of tiny amateur football gatherings are active and immensely popular.

Baseball is another one of the most popular sports in South Korea. It was introduced in 1905 by American missionaries and carries a strong following today. Professional teams owned by large conglomerates (chaebols) compete in the Korea Professional Baseball league. Korea won the Gold Medal in baseball at the 2008 Olympic Games. Korea is also a regular participant in the World Baseball Classic, and is considered one of the best baseball countries in international competition. Several Korean players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball.

Another sport gaining popularity in South Korea is basketball. Professional basketball teams compete in the Korean Basketball League. The South Korea national basketball team won a record number of 23 medals at the Asian Basketball Championship. The only Korean NBA player to date has been Ha Seung-Jin who played there in 2005-06. Another prominent Korean basketball player is Moon Tae-Jong who appeared at the 2005 and 2006 FIBA EuroCup All-Star Day.

Ice Hockey is slowly emerging as fans in Anyang city sees sell-out games for Anyang Halla hockey club, which became the first non-Japanese club to win championship title for Asia League Ice Hockey.

Popular throughout Asia, Badminton is played by many Koreans. Badminton nets can be found in many outdoor recreation parks. Korean players often reach the finals in regional and world championships. Bowling is a popular sport in South Korea, with many local leagues. Computerized systems are commonplace.

Fishing and hiking are common activities in South Korea. Fishing is popular in streams, rivers, and the oceans. There are arranged fishing tours. Hiking in the Korean mountains is very popular, and weekend after weekend popular areas fill with people.

Golf is very popular in South Korea. It is often thought that this is linked to the fact that golf is considered a status symbol. Membership in golf clubs in South Korea is considerably more expensive than in Japan or the US. South Korea is especially strong in women's golf; 47 Koreans play on the world's leading women's tour, the LPGA tour in the . The best-known Korean golfer is Pak Se-ri.

Scuba diving is popular on Jeju island.

Korea is home to a number of good downhill skiing sloopes. Snowboarding was not allowed in most resorts until recently.

Rugby union is played to some degree in South Korea, with the Korean team being currently ranked 27th in the world (as of December 2012) in the current IRB world rankings. Korea participated in the 2008 Asian Five Nations, the inaugural Asian Five Nations.

Table tennis is popular in South Korea{Ref|contemp1}. There are minor leagues in many universities.

E-sports have found a strong home in South Korea, StarCraft professional competition being the largest example of these. Major corporate sponsored teams and leagues have formed in e-Sports, the most notable leagues being the OnGameNet Starleague, the MBCGame StarCraft League (retired), and Proleague. Some television stations are devoted to broadcasting electronic sports, such as Ongamenet, GomTV, and formerly MBCGame.

Since 2010, South Korea has hosted the annual Formula One Korean Grand Prix in Yeongam. However, South Korea has yet to have a driver on the grid.