Jeonbuk’s main goalkeeper Kim Jung-hoon enjoyed Korea’s historic moment of victory, including the final list of 22 players at the Hangzhou Asian Games, which opened last month.
Kim Jung-hoon is the only “0-minute” player among the 22 players in the tournament.
Unfortunately, Kim Jung-hoon, who participated in the tournament as the third goalkeeper due to his nature as a goalkeeper, did not have a chance.
Hwang Sun-hong, head coach of the Asian Games national soccer team, used Lee Kwang-yeon (Gangwon) as the main goalkeeper. Min Sung-joon (Incheon) was deployed in the third round of the group stage match against Bahrain with the round of 16 tournaments confirmed early.
Since the round of 16 tournaments, Lee Kwang-yeon has kept the goal, so Kim Jung-hoon could not take the opportunity to play.
Coach Hwang used all 19 field players in terms of rotation. 안전놀이터
No player won the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang tournaments without playing for a single minute. This record makes Kim Jung-hoon a more special player, not a “free ride.”
It is not that Kim Jung-hoon could not play because he was not able to play. He is playing as the No. 1 goalkeeper for his team Jeonbuk. He also played in the Qatar U-23 Doha Cup in March and the final qualifying round for the U-23 AFC CUP last month.
Coach Hwang is expected to use Kim Jung-hoon as his main goalkeeper if he advances to the Paris Olympics finals next year, but his turn went to Lee Kwang-yeon and Min Sung-joon, who are two years old.
Kim Jung-hoon may feel sad that he couldn’t run inside. However, Kim Jung-hoon completed his duty of national defense at Gimcheon Sangmu from June 2021 to December last year. Currently, it is Hwang Sun-hong’s “only military post.” There is no need for military service benefits unless you have to go to the military twice.
Even if Kim Jung-hoon did not participate for a single minute while unwritten, he can receive military service benefits with a gold medal around his neck. In 2019, the government changed the system so that players on the national team would receive military service benefits even if they could not play for a single minute as part of its “measures to improve the alternative military service system.” This is to prevent situations such as Kim Ki-hee’s “four-minute participation.” At the 2012 London Olympics, Kim Ki-hee played for just four minutes and won the bronze medal after being discouraged due to the rule that requires even one minute of participation in the game to receive military service. This was the first Asian Games since the system change.
Experts say the role of the “No. 3 goalkeeper” in the tournament is important. The probability of playing in the game is the slimmest in the squad, but there are more roles to play than expected, such as maintaining a good team atmosphere and instilling tension in goalkeepers 1 and 2. South Korea’s semi-final myth at the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup was played by No. 3 goalkeeper Choi Eun-sung, a “moment maker” and epitome of self-management.
