Asian Games gold medals are the path to early retirement. Five years ago, there was a case. Hwang In-bum, who played for the Asan Mugunghwa FC, a police team, benefited from an early discharge. But now, there is a player who has the potential to take the “Hwang In-Beom route. He is Cho Young-wook of Gimcheon Commerce.
Fresh off a seven-game goal streak in the Hana OneQ K League 2 2023, the longest in league history, Cho was recently named to head coach Hwang Sun-hong’s final roster for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. He is the only player on the team who is an active duty soldier.
He’s been on a scoring tear lately, so it’s a big boost for the team as they look to win gold at the Asian Games. As we know, this is an achievement that comes with military service benefits, so it should be a motivating factor for Cho Young-wook.
We asked him this question before the Hana OneQ K League 2 2023 match against Gyeongnam FC at the Changwon Football Center at 7:30 p.m. on the 23rd. He said that he hears a lot of similar questions around him, but he doesn’t really think about it.
“My country has won two consecutive Asian Games, so I’m only thinking about winning a gold medal for the third time in a row,” he said, adding, “That’s something I’ll think about after I win the gold medal, not now.”
He then thought of the regular active duty soldiers who are silently serving on the front lines. When asked about the secret behind Gimcheon’s recent rise, Cho Young-wook said, “The adaptation of the main players to military life,” and then added, “I can only think of one thing in that regard. I don’t think military life is hard. Instead, I realized that all Korean soldiers are going through a lot of hardships,” he said.
“Life in a regular unit is definitely harder and more challenging than ours. I realize through my military life that our active duty soldiers are truly amazing,” he said, adding that he prioritized all of his ‘comrades-in-arms’ across the country who are currently serving over his own military benefits. 토토사이트
Meanwhile, Cho Young-wook scored the game-winning goal in the first minute of the second half against Gyeongnam FC to give Gimcheon a 2-0 victory. The goal was Cho’s 10th of the season. “The team goal is to finish first for direct promotion,” said Cho. My personal goal is 15 goals. Actually, before the season, I was aiming for 10 goals, but now I’ve raised it a bit and am thinking about 15 goals.” At this pace, it’s certainly possible.