POPPERFOTO
Yoo Sang Chul (red shirt)
had the winning goal for
South Korea against Marco
Antonio Ruiz and his
Mexican teammates at the
2001 Confederations Cup.
Koreans find success in Japan
The backbone of South Korea's national team plays in the J-League.
The exodus of players from South Korea to Japan that began with
Noh Jung Yoon in 1993 has steadily increased.
S
outh Korean players have had little success in Europe — former Bundesliga
star Cha Bum Kun is the notable exception
— but they are big hits in Japan.
South Korea has 10 players in the JLeague — more than any other country except Brazil. Here's a look at the five who are
key members of South Korea's national team:
CHOI YONG SOO (JEF United). Choi, the
No. 2 active scorer (26 goals) on the South
Korean national team, has been largely responsible for JEF United's success (third in
the overall standings). In his first full season
at the Ichihara club, the 30-year-old striker
has 21 goals in 26 games — second in the
J-League. Choi, who started the last two
games at the 1998 World Cup, climbed the
ranks from Yonsei University to Army team
Sangmoo and LG Cheetahs before signing
with JEF United in 2000.
HONG MYUNG BO (Kashiwa Reysol).
Hong is South Korea's all-time cap leader with
122 international appearances. One of Guus
Hiddink's first moves after being named South
Korean national team coach was picking Hong
to captain the World Cup 2002 co-hosts. The
32-year-old sweeper hopes to play in his fourth
World Cup. He was the youngest player on
South Korea's 1990 World Cup team and
scored two goals at USA '94.
HWANG SUN HONG (Kashiwa Reysol).
Hwang, 33, was written off after missing
France '98 because of a lingering knee injury, but he has enjoyed a new life under
Hiddink. Hwang, South Korea's all-time leading scorer with 47 goals in 91 games, scored
against Mexico and Australia in wins at the
2 0 0 1 Confederations Cup.
PARK Jl SUNG (Kyoto Purple Sanga).The
20-year-old midfielder shocked the Korean
soccer community when he left Myungji University last year to sign with J-League Second Division club Kyoto Purple Sanga. He
has helped Purple Sanga win promotion back
to the First Division.
YOO SANG CHUL (Kashiwa Reysol). Yoo,
30, hoped to sign with Barcelona after the
1998 World Cup, where he scored the tying
goal for South Korea in its 1-1 tie with Belgium. He ended up at J-League powerhouse
Yokohama Marinos before joining Hong and
Hwang at Reysol. Yoo, whose goal beat
Mexico at the Confederations Cup, has often
been compared to former English star Bryan
Robson for his work rate in midfield.
— Paul Kennedy
December 10, 2001 / Soccer America / 11