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By Yoo Jee-ho SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- Indonesia's stunning victory over his native country of South Korea in the Olympic men's football qualifiers Thursday night in Qatar left head coach Shin Tae-yong with mixed feelings. "I am really pleased and happy. This feels great," Shin said after Indonesia eliminated South Korea in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup with an 11-10 win on penalties. "But I also have mixed feelings about this. This is tough for me," Shin continued, discussing his win over the country of his birth. "But someone had to win, and I only did the best I could for Indonesia because I am coaching Indonesia right now. I want to thank my players, Chairman Erick (Thohir of the Football Association of Indonesia) and people back home in Indonesia who stayed up late to cheer us on tonight." Shin, 53, has been in charge of Indonesia's senior and U-23 men's national teams since 2019. He previously coached South Korea at t

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By Yoo Jee-ho SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- For the first time in 40 years, South Korea will not compete in an Olympic men's football tournament. And the young Taegeuk Warriors only have themselves to blame, after a poor defensive effort and lack of discipline proved costly in the Asian qualifying tournament Thursday night in Qatar. South Korea fell to Indonesia 11-10 on penalties in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha. South Korea had to make it to at least the semifinals to have a shot at extending their Olympic appearance streak to 10, dating to 1988. This year's U-23 Asian Cup doubles as the AFC qualifiers for the Paris Olympics. Only the top three teams -- the two finalists and the winner of the third-place contest -- will grab their tickets to Paris, while the fourth-place team will face Guinea in a playoff later. Coached by Hwang Sun-hong, South Korea played their worst match of the

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(ATTN: UPDATES with minor edits, details in 11th para) By Song Sang-ho WASHINGTON, April 26 (Yonhap) -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that he renewed calls for China to exert its influence to press North Korea to cease its "dangerous" activities and return to dialogue during his talks with top Chinese officials in Beijing. Blinken made the remarks during a press conference after he had separate meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Minister of Public Security Wang Xiaohong and other officials in the Chinese capital on the day. The secretary's trip to Shanghai and Beijing from Wednesday to Friday came as Washington has been pushing for its drive to "responsibly" manage the Sino-U.S. relationship despite a hardening rivalry over technological leadership, maritime security, trade and other domains. "I encouraged China to use its influence to discourage Iran and its proxies from expanding the conflict in the Middle East, and

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SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Saturday lashed out at the recent release of the United States' annual report on human rights situations in the reclusive country, calling it an act of interfering in the country's "internal affairs." Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department released the 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, pointing out that North Koreans remained exposed to various types of human rights abuses last year, including forced repatriations, extrajudicial killings, forced abortion and the "worst forms" of child labor. The report also said Pyongyang did not take "credible steps" to identify and punish officials who may have committed such acts. "The report has no relation at all with sincerely safeguarding human rights and is merely a basic material needed to rationalize its interference in our state affairs and scheme to overthrow our system," a spokesperson for the North's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement carried by the Kor

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By Song Sang-ho and Kang Byeong-cheol WASHINGTON, April 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States outlined their respective visions for a new bilateral defense cost-sharing deal during their first round of negotiations in Honolulu this week, the top U.S. negotiator said Friday. Linda Specht, senior advisor and U.S. lead negotiator for security agreements at the State Department, made the remarks after the initial round of talks over the deal, named the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) took place from Tuesday through Thursday. The talks are aimed at determining how much Seoul should pay for the stationing of U.S. Forces Korea. The current six-year SMA is set to end at the end of next year. "The United States and Republic of Korea outlined their respective visions for the 12th SMA," she said in a statement. She did not elaborate on the visions. "Our commitment to reinforcing the readiness of our combined defense posture underlines the enduring vitality of the U.S.-R

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SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, a sublabel of K-pop giant Hybe, reiterated her denial Friday of allegations that she and her aides attempted to usurp control of the company from the parent company. Having been locking horns with Hybe over the allegations, she made the comment during an interview with local radio station CBS, emphasizing her limited power given ADOR's ownership structure. "Hybe holds an 80 percent stake," Min explained. "There is nothing we can do on our own with this stake. Any decision requires Hybe's approval." Min and other executives of her company have the remaining 20 percent. On Thursday, Hybe announced the interim results of its audit into the current management of ADOR, claiming to have secured evidence supporting its claims that the executives plotted to seize management control. Hybe then filed a complaint against Min and her deputy CEO, identified only as Shin, on charges of breach of trust among others. It cited

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SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- Hybe, the largest K-pop company in South Korea, on Friday countered the latest allegations raised by the head of its sublabel ADOR suspected of plotting to take over the company, as the parties continued to trade salvos in their ongoing saga. In a press release, Hybe refuted several points made by ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin during her lengthy press conference Thursday and charged that Min was "blackmailing the company while holding artists hostage." Hybe previously claimed that Min and others had attempted to seize management control of ADOR, which manages popular group NewJeans, among other acts. Hybe has also said it has records of conversations between Min and her deputy CEO, identified only by the surname Shin, as they were devising plans to break away from Hybe and take NewJeans with them. At her press conference, Min reiterated her denial that she had ever tried to take over the company, and instead accused Hybe of trying to destroy her.

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By Yoo Jee-ho SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean football governing body apologized Friday for the country's failure to qualify for the men's tournament at this year's Paris Olympics. The Korea Football Association (KFA) posted the apology on its website hours after South Korea lost to Indonesia 11-10 on penalties in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup in Qatar. The tournament also served as the Asian qualifying event for the Paris Olympics, with the top three teams earning their spots at the quadrennial competition. South Korea needed to reach at least the semifinals to have a chance to qualify but bowed out of the quarterfinals in a shootout heartbreaker. South Korea had competed at every Olympic men's football tournament since 1988. "The coaching staff and players all did their best to try to qualify for our 10th consecutive Olympic Games, but unfortunately, we didn't accomplish our goal," the KFA's statement read. "We

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(ATTN: ADDS comments from Seoul official, other details in paras 7-9; CHANGES dateline) By Song Sang-ho, Kim Dong-hyun and Kim Seung-yeon WASHINGTON/SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- A defense cost-sharing agreement between South Korea and the United States represents the allies' shared commitment to a "robust" security posture, a Pentagon spokesperson said Thursday following the first round of talks on the deal. The two countries concluded the initial round of the negotiations in Honolulu on Thursday to determine how much Seoul should pay for the stationing of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) under the deal, called the Special Measures Agreement (SMA), as the current six-year SMA is set to end at the end of next year. "The Special Measures Agreements reflect our shared commitment to a stable stationing environment for U.S. forces in the Republic of Korea (ROK) and a robust combined defense posture," Lieut. Col. Marty Meiners said in a statement, referring to South Korea by its offi

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By Kim Seung-yeon SEOUL, April 26 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and Japan could consider adopting a simplified entry procedure for people traveling between the two countries, as an effort to keep the momentum going in the dramatic improvement in bilateral relations, a Seoul official said Friday. The official made the suggestion as one of the possibilities that the two neighbors could explore, likening the idea to the Schengen Agreement in Europe that allows nationals of the signatory countries and eligible members to travel freely without border checks. Next year could serve as an occasion for such discussions, as Seoul and Tokyo are to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations, the official said in a session with reporters. "The 60th anniversary can be another very important momentum. We should institutionalize the overall exchanges, economic cooperation in a way that they won't be damaged, while we continue to sternly address the historical

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