From National Basketball Team to Homeless at Seoul Station... Choo Han-chan Sheds Tears Saying "I Want to Go Back"

Former national basketball player Choo Han-chan.
[Photo by YouTube 'Geunhwang Olympic' video capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Seoyoung] Choo Han-chan, a former national basketball player, tearfully revealed the story of how he fell into religion and ended up as a homeless person at Seoul Station.

On the 31st, a video was released on the YouTube channel 'Geunhwang Olympics' showing the recent situation of Choo Han-chan, a former national basketball player who had been living with homeless people at Seoul Station and recently settled in a goshiwon (small lodging). Choo Han-chan, standing 2.05 meters tall, was active as a national team player in the 1980s alongside basketball stars of the time such as Heo Jae and Lee Min-hyung.

Choo Han-chan revealed that he had been living with homeless people at Seoul Station until recently. He said that he had been staying at a prayer center that caused social controversy for illegal medical practices over the past 13 years, but after realizing the wrong beliefs, he left and began living as a homeless person. He added, "I saw a person in front of the subway who had urinated on their clothes until they were caked," and said, "That was when I quit drinking and smoking."

Choo Han-chan also disclosed the reason he left the basketball world, saying he suffered from "Marfan syndrome," a genetic disorder affecting connective tissue. He confessed, "After undergoing surgery for pneumothorax, I started working in a factory without fully recovering," and "I injured my hand on factory machinery, so I couldn't return as a basketball player."

He continued, "I tried to become a physical education teacher, but that didn't work out either. After several attempts, I gave up everything," and shockingly added, "I was so distressed that in the 1990s, when I saw my former teammates playing basketball on TV, I smashed the TV." Choo Han-chan tearfully said, "I did a lot of self-harm. I want to return to the basketball world. My dream is to teach kids."

On that day, Choo Han-chan revealed that he was a 'class of '84' batchmate with Heo Jae, recalling, "When we went to Saudi Arabia as national representatives, Heo Jae handed out bananas at the hotel," and "Bananas were rare in the 1980s, so he was quite the gentleman," which brought smiles to viewers.