Son Heung-min's Father Son Woong-jung: "Receiving Allowance from My Son? Why Should I Dip into My Child's Money?"

"Trying to Benefit While Supporting Causes Problems"
In Response to "Isn't Son Heung-min World Class?"... "No Change"

Son Woong-jung, father of soccer national team player Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and director of SON Soccer Academy, said on the 26th, "Children are not my possessions."

In an interview with CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the same day, Director Son said, "Great parents raise children who will become great, while small parents can only raise children who will become great to be small."

He added, "Personally, I think small parents are those who merely take care of their children," and said, "Instead of focusing on the child's talent and individuality, if parents think of their children as possessions and ignore their happiness, when my child reaches their 30s or 40s and experiences Monday blues, boredom, and burnout in their work, can the parents live that life for them?"

He continued, "Great parents keep asking what talents and individuality their child has," and said, "The role of parents is to find the child's talents and individuality as soon as possible and help them stand at the starting line of life."

Son Woong-jung, the father of national soccer player Son Heung-min and director of SON Soccer Academy, is speaking at a press conference for his interview collection "I Read, Write, and Discard" held on the morning of the 17th at the Francisco Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

When asked if he gives his son an allowance, Director Son replied, "No, I have to earn it," and said, "Children's money is children's money, my money is my money, spouse's money is spouse's money, children's success is children's success, spouse's success is spouse's success, and only my success is my success, so why should I put my spoon in?" He added, "You shouldn't put your spoon in. Problems arise when parents who take care of their children try to put their spoon in when their children succeed."

Regarding the definition of success, he said, "The definition of success and happiness can vary. But personally, I define success as achieving individuality and talent, not money."

The match between Korea and Thailand in the 4th round of Group C of the 2nd round of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup Asian qualifiers, held on the 26th of last month at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Son Heung-min is celebrating after scoring an additional goal in the second half.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Also, when asked if he still thinks Son Heung-min is not world-class, Director Son answered, "That hasn't changed." He said, "There was a famous Dutch professional player who has passed away, Johan Cruyff, who said that he met the best players in the world, but those players are not only good at kicking the ball. They are world-class in character as well."

He continued, "You have to be good at kicking the ball, but you also have to have world-class character to truly be world-class," and said, "Anyway, I think (Son Heung-min) needs to develop further."