Latest news with #Koreans
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Aaron-Wooi Yik eye revenge in Singapore Open final
KUALA LUMPUR: Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik are one step from glory at the Singapore Open, and after surviving a nerve-jangling semi-final, the Malaysian pair are fired up to end the nation's 17-year title drought. The world No. 3 showed nerves of steel on Saturday, holding off a spirited fightback to beat India's world No. 27 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty 19-21, 21-10, 21-18 in 64 minutes. Aaron-Wooi Yik looked to be cruising at 20-11 in the decider before allowing the Indians to claw back seven straight points. But they dug deep to finally close out the match - their 10th win in 13 meetings against the reigning Asian Games champions. "That last stretch was intense," admitted Aaron. "We lost a bit of focus but managed to stay calm when it mattered." Wooi Yik added: "We couldn't afford to relax even when leading. They're a very experienced pair, and every point counted." The hard-fought win earned the Malaysians their fourth consecutive final appearance - a career first - and set up a blockbuster clash against South Korea's world No. 10 Kim Won Ho-Seo Seung Jae. The Koreans have been in scorching form this year, with titles at the Malaysia Open, German Open and All England, and underlined their threat with a 21-17, 21-16 win over Denmark's world No. 2 Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the other semi-final. Aaron-Wooi Yik have extra motivation, not just to capture their first Singapore crown, but also to avenge a painful semi-final loss to the Koreans at the India Open in January, their only previous meeting. "The final's going to be a tough battle," said Aaron. "We'll recover well and go all out." Malaysia have not tasted victory in the men's doubles at the Singapore Open since Fairuzizuan Tazari-Zakry Latif triumphed in 2008, bust with Aaron-Wooi Yik in red-hot form, having won the Badminton Asia Championships and Thailand Open, and finishing runners-up at the Malaysia Masters, the 17-year wait could finally end on Sunday.
New Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Sarjit calls up Danish after Hafizuddin's injury in Jincheon
KUALA LUMPUR: National men's hockey coach Sarjit Singh is concerned with the goalkeeping department as Malaysia prepare for the Nations Cup at Bukit Jalil from June 15-21. First choice Hafizuddin Othman suffered a back injury during the five-match playing tour to Jincheon, South Korea from May 18-29. Hafizuddin, who has 112 international caps, suffered the injury in the third friendly. "Rafaizul Saini (ex-junior World Cupper) played in the fourth and fifth matches, but he was weak in defending penalty corners," said Sarjit. "I am concerned about the goalkeeping department and have called up another goalkeeper, Danish Afnan Faizal (who played in the 2023 Junior World Cup)." On the team's performance in Jincheon, Sarjit said: "Overall the players played well with a fast attacking game in all the five matches against the Koreans." World No. 13 Malaysia beat world No. 14 South Korea with identical scores of 4-1 in the first two matches, but drew the next two 5-5 and 1-1 before losing 4-2 in the fifth. The Speedy Tigers earned 23 penalty corners and converted five, while the Koreans converted five of 25 penalty corners. Malaysia are drawn in Group B of the Nations Cup with world No. 12 New Zealand, Pakistan (No. 15) and Japan (No. 16). Group A consists of world No. 9 France, South Africa (No. 11), South Korea (No. 14) and Wales (No.18).
Straits Times
a day ago
- Lifestyle
- Straits Times
Seoul Lonely: How a city fights isolation with ramyeon, one bowl at a time
At the Heart Convenience Store, visitors can enjoy massages, foot baths, a cup of tea and instant food like ramyeon while connecting with others in the neighbourhood. ST PHOTOS: WENDY TEO – As with many Koreans, Ms Kim Seo-jin (not her real name) finds instant ramyeon to be the ultimate comfort food. It is something she eats daily as she lives alone and does not cook. 'I love noodles more than rice, just give me kimchi and ramyeon and I'm happy,' she told The Straits Times in a soft voice, her head bowed and eyes shyly avoiding contact. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Early voting ends for South Korea election triggered by martial law
South Koreans joined long queues on Friday to cast their ballots early in a snap election triggered by the former president's disastrous bid to declare martial law. The country is battling to draw a line under months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office. South Korea has since been led by a series of lame-duck acting presidents as its export-driven economy grapples with trade turmoil abroad and sluggish demand at home. All major polls have placed liberal Lee Jae-myung as the clear frontrunner in the presidential race, with a recent Gallup survey showing 49% of respondents viewed him as the best candidate. Trailing behind him at 35 percent is conservative ex-labour minister Kim Moon-soo, from the ruling People Power Party that Yoon left this month. While election day is set for June 3, those who wanted to vote early were allowed to do so on Thursday and Friday. Turnout stood at a healthy 34.7% of registered voters by the close of early voting on Friday, according to the National Election Commission. "I've never had to wait this long in line to early vote," said Park Seung-hee, who lives in Seoul's Jongno district. The 38-year-old told AFP she waited for "nearly an hour" but said it was "worth it". "The martial law showed just how important it is to choose the right leader. And I think a lot of others feel the same way," Park said. Long lines at polling stations already prompted an apology from the National Election Commission and a pledge to deploy more staff to ease overcrowding and reduce waiting times. "I think people need to vote with their head, not their heart," said Kim Min-gyu, a 28-year-old who lives in Seoul's Gangnam district. Overseas voting reached a new high, with 79.5 percent of the 1.97 million eligible voters casting their ballots last week. 'Restore democracy' Whoever succeeds Yoon will have to grapple with a deepening economic downturn, one of the world's lowest birth rates and a soaring cost of living. He will also have to navigate a mounting superpower standoff between the United States, South Korea's traditional security guarantor, and China, its largest trade partner. However, analysts see martial law as the defining issue in the presidential race. Kang Joo-hyun, a political science professor at Sookmyung Women's University, told AFP the high turnout "naturally reflects the public's strong desire to restore democracy in South Korea". "Overseas Koreans... more than ever, felt compelled to make their voices heard through the ballot, driven by a sense that the very foundations of South Korea's democracy were being shaken," Kang said. Lee lost his 2022 bid for the presidency to Yoon by the narrowest margin in South Korean history, with one of the main debates becoming gender issues. The former school dropout rose to political stardom partly by highlighting his humble beginnings. He has vowed to "bring insurrection elements to justice" if elected president. Seoul National University political science professor Kang Won-taek warned, however, that South Korea's political woes were far from over. "There is a real possibility that the political turmoil and crises we've seen could re-emerge," said Kang. Lee has been a "central figure in the polarisation that has fuelled much of the country's political instability", he said. "Unless he adopts a markedly more inclusive approach to governance, there's a strong chance that past conflicts will resurface."
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First Post
a day ago
- Politics
- First Post
South Korea wraps up early voting in snap election sparked by martial law crisis
The country is battling to draw a line under months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office read more People stand in a long queue that leads to a polling station during the second day of early voting for the presidential elections in Seoul. AFP South Koreans joined long queues on Friday to cast their ballots early in a snap election triggered by the former president's disastrous bid to declare martial law. The country is battling to draw a line under months of political turmoil sparked by Yoon Suk Yeol's brief suspension of civilian rule in December, for which he was impeached and removed from office. South Korea has since been led by a series of lame-duck acting presidents as its export-driven economy grapples with trade turmoil abroad and sluggish demand at home. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD All major polls have placed liberal Lee Jae-myung as the clear frontrunner in the presidential race, with a recent Gallup survey showing 49 percent of respondents viewed him as the best candidate. Trailing behind him at 35 percent is conservative ex-labour minister Kim Moon-soo, from the ruling People Power Party that Yoon left this month. While election day is set for June 3, those who wanted to vote early were allowed to do so on Thursday and Friday. Turnout stood at a healthy 34.7 percent of registered voters by the close of early voting on Friday, according to the National Election Commission. 'I've never had to wait this long in line to early vote,' said Park Seung-hee, who lives in Seoul's Jongno district. The 38-year-old told AFP she waited for 'nearly an hour' but said it was 'worth it'. 'The martial law showed just how important it is to choose the right leader. And I think a lot of others feel the same way,' Park said. Long lines at polling stations already prompted an apology from the National Election Commission and a pledge to deploy more staff to ease overcrowding and reduce waiting times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I think people need to vote with their head, not their heart,' said Kim Min-gyu, a 28-year-old who lives in Seoul's Gangnam district. Overseas voting reached a new high, with 79.5 percent of the 1.97 million eligible voters casting their ballots last week. 'Restore democracy' Whoever succeeds Yoon will have to grapple with a deepening economic downturn, one of the world's lowest birth rates and a soaring cost of living. He will also have to navigate a mounting superpower standoff between the United States, South Korea's traditional security guarantor, and China, its largest trade partner. However, analysts see martial law as the defining issue in the presidential race. Kang Joo-hyun, a political science professor at Sookmyung Women's University, told AFP the high turnout 'naturally reflects the public's strong desire to restore democracy in South Korea'. 'Overseas Koreans… more than ever, felt compelled to make their voices heard through the ballot, driven by a sense that the very foundations of South Korea's democracy were being shaken,' Kang said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Lee lost his 2022 bid for the presidency to Yoon by the narrowest margin in South Korean history, with one of the main debates becoming gender issues. The former school dropout rose to political stardom partly by highlighting his humble beginnings. He has vowed to 'bring insurrection elements to justice' if elected president. Seoul National University political science professor Kang Won-taek warned, however, that South Korea's political woes were far from over. 'There is a real possibility that the political turmoil and crises we've seen could re-emerge,' said Kang. Lee has been a 'central figure in the polarisation that has fuelled much of the country's political instability', he said. 'Unless he adopts a markedly more inclusive approach to governance, there's a strong chance that past conflicts will resurface.'
