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North Korean striker Jong Tae-se sheds tears as he listens to the country's national anthem before a World Cup soccer qualifying match between South and North Korea at Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, China on Wednesday.
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During a World Cup qualifier at Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai, China on Wednesday, the biggest newsmaker was neither Manchester United's Park Ji-sung nor "soccer genius" Park Chu-young, but the North Korean team's top striker Jong Tae-se.
Jong was born in Japan to Korean parents and has South Korean nationality, yet chose to play for the North Korean national squad. With his curious background, South Korean reporters have taken a growing interest in him.
He grabbed the spotlight during Wednesday's game, with many South Korean reporters trying to catch his every move. "I didn't expect there would be so many reporters," he said glibly to a throng of South Korean journalists when he arrived in Shanghai. "When I saw all the camera flashes, I thought a very famous celebrity had just arrived. I didn't know it was me."
In a recent interview with Japanese sports website SportsNavi, Jong elaborated on why he chose the North Korean team "without hesitation." He was inspired to be just like Ahn Young-hak or Lee Han-jae, two North Korean players of the J League, after he watched them play in a World Cup 2006 qualifier between North Korea and Japan at Saitama Stadium in Japan on Feb. 9, 2005.
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Jong Tae-se (left) kicks up the ball during a World Cup qualifying match at Hongkou Football Stadium in Shanghai on Wednesday. /Newsis
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Jong emerged as Asia's top striker this year, sharing top place by scoring two goals in the East Asia Championships. Even so, he's retained his sense of humility. "I know I can never be a star with my (ugly) face," he quipped. And he knows he still has a long way to go.
First of all, he will have to vie for a starting berth on his J League club, Kawasaki Frontale. In 2007, he scored 12 goals in the J League and seven goals in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League and AFC Asian Cup tournaments. Yet he is still a back bencher for his professional club, because Kawasaki boasts a number of outstanding strikers, including Juninho, a Brazilian who was the J League's top scorer last season.
Jong said, "My goal this year is to become a starting player for my club by scoring 25 goals -- 15 in the J League and 10 in the AFC Cup tournaments."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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