“Europe’s top five leagues” Hong Hyun-seok – “Opportunities have opened up” Seol Young-woo aims higher with military service benefits
After three straight Asian Games, Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Hent) and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai) set their sights on higher ground after joining Klinsmann’s team.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, convened at the Paju National Training Center on Monday. South Korea will play two October A matches against Tunisia and Vietnam on Oct. 13 and 17, respectively.스포츠토토
Hong Hyun-seok and Seol Young-woo, who won gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games alongside Hwang Sun-hong, joined Klinsmann on the team. With their gold medal goal in sight, they are feeling a little lighter as they prepare for the A-match.
“I haven’t slept since yesterday, so I feel really good and I can’t believe it,” said Hong Hyun-seok. “The coach has the biggest stake in the gold medal, and Seung-ho (Baek), who worked really hard, has a big stake,” he said.
During the tournament, Hong scored the winning goal in the quarterfinals against China with a fantastic free kick. After scoring a valuable goal against the hosts, he silenced the Chinese supporters with a “hush” gesture. When asked about the Chinese media expressing their displeasure with the gesture, he said, “I didn’t care one bit,” and added, “It’s a far cry from (Lee’s) free-kick ability.” He was both confident and humble.
Seol Young-woo, who entered the Asian Games as a wildcard, also shared the sentiment, saying, “All my teammates came to my room to congratulate me,” and “They told me that this is the real beginning.”
Seol has been on a roll. He was first named to the A team in June and traveled to Europe in September. “It’s true that it’s hard because I’m getting older,” he said, “but I’m happy every time they call me to the national team. I want to be in the national team for a long time.”
Along with their gold medals, these two athletes and others on the Asian Games team will also receive military service benefits. While it’s not the main goal, it’s certainly a huge benefit to their careers.
One of the biggest examples of this is Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), the captain of the Korea A team. He joined the team as a wildcard (an overage player) for the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang tournament. He won gold in dramatic fashion on his last chance to qualify for military service.
After striking gold on the brink of a career-ending injury in Europe, Son has since soared even higher. He is the top scorer in the English Premier League (EPL) and has enjoyed a stellar career, including a 70-meter goal against Burnley that earned him the FIFA Pushkasi Award. In addition to Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), and Hwang In-beom (Zvezda) are among those who have benefited from the program.
Both players are determined to use their military benefits to move up the ranks. “I’ve always wanted to play in the top five European leagues, and this is a great opportunity,” said Hong Hyun-seok. “I think the future will be more important,” he added. “I’m familiar with Germany, where I played when I was younger, but I also want to play in England.”
When asked how much he thinks he will earn in his lifetime as a result of his military service, Seol said, “About 10 billion won,” and laughed. “I think it’s the same for all players, but now that my military service, which is a big part of my soccer career, has been resolved, I feel like a good opportunity has opened up,” he said, adding, “I will focus more on the remaining league matches and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL).”
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