Korea Daily Brief

Gen.G swept Lyon 3-0 in the League of Legends World Championship quarterfinals Thursday, advancing to the semifinals undefeated. T1, led by legendary mid laner Faker, also advanced and will face Karmine Corp on Saturday. South Korea now has two teams in the final stages competing for the 2026 title.

The Samsung Lions are outperforming expectations in the Korean Series despite missing their All-Star closer Kim Jae-yoon, who was injured in October. The KT Wiz were favored in the bullpen matchup thanks to closer Park Yeong-hyun's 30 regular-season saves, plus having three weeks of rest after finishing first. Through the first two games, the Lions' relievers have been the difference-maker, proving depth matters more than one star player.

Ban Hyo-jin and Park Ha-jun claimed bronze for South Korea in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team at the ISSF World Championships in Doha. The pair led qualifications with a combined 634.4 points but finished third in the final with 440.1 points, just missing silver. Ban has already secured an Olympic quota for Los Angeles 2028 after winning gold in the individual women's event.

FC Porto defeated Napoli 4-1 in the Champions League, securing their first win of the season. South Korean midfielder Hwang In-beom came off the bench in the 78th minute and assisted within two minutes, helping Porto climb to 26th place. The victory marked Porto's first three-goal performance in the competition since December 2023.

Big Bang just became the first K-pop group to headline Sydney's massive Accor Stadium, performing on Saturday as part of their 'XX: Cosmos' world tour. It's a major milestone for the iconic group, marking their first solo concert in the city since 2015. The stadium is Australia's largest and has hosted global superstars like Taylor Swift and Coldplay.

SHINee member Minho finished the JTBC Seoul Marathon in 3 hours and 18 seconds on Sunday, missing his sub-3 hour goal by just 18 seconds. Videos surfaced online showing what appeared to be a pacemaker touching his back during the race, sparking debate about whether this violated World Athletics rules against physical assistance. Minho apologized Tuesday as some called for his result to be disqualified, though others argued the footage wasn't conclusive.

The KT Wiz and Samsung Lions are battling for the Korean Series title starting Tuesday, with managers Lee Kang-chul and Park Jin-man both former Korean Series MVPs. Lee won the award in 1996 as a pitcher, while Park earned it in 2006 as a shortstop and hitter. This rare matchup features only the second and third Korean Series MVP winners to manage in the KBO.

The Korean Series championship starts this week with KT Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul facing Samsung Lions manager Park Jin-man—and both are former Korean Series MVPs. Lee won the award in 1996 as a pitcher, while Park earned it in 2006 as a shortstop. Only three Korean Series MVPs have ever become KBO managers, making this matchup historically rare.

South Korean short track star Choi Min-jeong claimed her second consecutive 1,000-meter gold medal at the ISU World Tour stop in Montreal on Saturday. She staged an impressive comeback from fourth place, passing Canadian skaters to win in 1:30.273. South Korea also earned silver in the women's 3,000-meter relay with a photo finish against Italy.

South Korean figure skater Shin Jia placed sixth at the Grand Prix event in Kelowna with 65.38 points, falling short of leader Mao Shimada of Japan who scored 82.11. Shin landed her opening double Axel cleanly but took a costly fall on a triple Lutz attempt, resulting in a one-point deduction. Despite the error, she showed strong technique in spins and combinations, earning Level 4 difficulty ratings.

The Kia Tigers are down 2-1 to the Samsung Lions in a best-of-five series and facing elimination, so manager Lee Bum-ho moved up his three biggest hitters in Friday's lineup. Kim Do-yeong, Harold Castro, and Na Sung-bum all batted one spot higher, hoping to capitalize on their earlier success against opponent starter Chris Paddack. The Tigers won Game 1 but have since lost two straight, making this a must-win situation.