Exclusive Interview with Coach Lee Hak-jong, My 'Teacher' in High School
"Now, I plan to focus more on my club team than the national team."
Kim Min-jae (Napoli), the key defender of our national football team, made this remark in an interview after the friendly match against Uruguay on the 28th of last month. Upon hearing this, his 'mentor' Coach Lee Hak-jong said he first thought, "Oh? Look at this guy."
Recently, Coach Lee met with our newspaper in Suwon and said, "I don't know the detailed background, but (Kim) Min-jae's statement was probably not a mistake." It is highly likely that it was a sincere statement made with intention rather than a slip of the tongue. He added, "Min-jae is originally quite strong-willed. Even his family finds it hard to persuade him otherwise," and "It seems he had some dissatisfaction either with the national team or the Korea Football Association." When controversy arose over Kim Min-jae's remark, he even posted an apology on his social media (SNS) account.
Coach Lee discovered Kim Min-jae when he was at Geoje Yeoncho Middle School while Lee was coaching Suwon Technical High School, and they spent three years together in high school. So, he knows Kim's personality well. Coach Lee first met Kim Min-jae in Ulju-gun, Ulsan Metropolitan City, in October during the high school champions tournament. He recalled, "After the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, when Park Ji-sung and Suwon Technical High School were gaining attention, I heard from an acquaintance that there was a kid who wanted to enter Suwon Technical High School. Since I was going to Ulju-gun, I arranged to meet him."
At that meeting, 16-year-old Kim Min-jae, who came with his parents, caught Coach Lee's eye with his height and physique. Influenced by his father, who practiced judo during his school days, and his mother, who did athletics, Kim was slender and quite tall at the time. Coach Lee said, "Both parents are tall, so I was confident Min-jae would continue to grow taller. That’s why I immediately decided to take him with me right then and there."
Coach Lee advised Kim Min-jae to change his position from forward to defender. Since he had the physical attributes, he believed that with proper training, Kim could become a good defender. He also persuaded him that as a forward, it would be difficult to compete with mediocre skills, but as a defender, if he had the ability, he could have a smooth path. Kim Min-jae accepted the coach's suggestion without objection.
Coach Lee brought Kim Min-jae and rigorously taught him defensive techniques such as watching the opposing forwards closely while retreating. Kim Min-jae reportedly followed the coach’s teachings well. His height grew rapidly from 178 cm in the first year, to 182 cm in the second, and 184 cm in the third year. Under the coach’s guidance, he also corrected his running posture, raising his shoulders tightly and keeping a high center of gravity. Coach Lee thought this posture could cause frequent injuries. He said, "Even now, when I watch Min-jae’s games, that habit remains, but it has improved a lot compared to his high school days."
When Kim Min-jae was struggling in his first year as a professional, Coach Lee was the one who helped him regain his focus. He explained, "I received an SOS call from Coach Choi Kang-hee and was asked to bring Min-jae to Suwon," and described the situation at the time: "He was neglecting training and going out, so Coach Choi was very worried." When Coach Lee called Kim Min-jae, he sternly told him, "There are many players who appear briefly and then disappear. You are no different. If you don’t work hard, Jeonbuk will just recruit and use another player instead of you." After that, Kim Min-jae changed his mindset, devoted himself to football, and established himself as a key defender for Jeonbuk.
Now, Kim Min-jae has grown into an indispensable asset for Korean football. His mentor is delighted to hear about his outstanding performances in Europe. However, there is one thing he regrets. Coach Lee said, "I haven’t received a single message from him lately. When he returns to Korea for the national team call-up, I wish he would at least send a text, but he never has." It was a heartfelt complaint from a mentor who just wants to see his prot?g?’s face once more.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
