[Report File] Ahn Byung-jun, a former North Korean soccer representative... And three motherland

2020 was the best year of his life for Ahn Byung-jun.

21 goals in 26 matches while traversing the front line of Suwon FC in the second division of professional soccer.

He won the top scorer with an amazing scoring march.

The last goal was a promotion playoff with Gyeongnam.

It was the'theatrical goal' that determined the promotion of the team.

At the 2nd Division Awards Ceremony, Ahn Byung-joon achieved top scorer, best 11, and MVP '3 crowns'.

With overwhelming support, he became the first North Korean representative in the K-League history.

Soon after, one more'first' title was added.

In the KFA (Korean Football Association)'Player of the Year' vote, it took third place after Son Heung-min and Son Jun-ho.

Ahn Byung-jun is the first player from North Korea to receive a vote in the KFA Player of the Year vote.

It is a contradiction.

Ahn Byung-jun, who has experience in the PRK (North Korean Football Association) adult national team, cannot be a KFA representative due to the rules of the International Federation.

Although it was not in the top ranks by the reporters' vote, it received high scores from the former technical leaders of the Football Association, and the total resulted in third place.

The selection method of selecting the three'Korean players' who performed the best this year without specifying a candidate caused controversy.

The KFA technical committee members who voted Ahn Byung-jun viewed him as a'Korean player'.

It's paradoxical.

In the K-League, Ahn Byung-jun is on the border between foreigners and Koreans.

When applying the transfer fee rule, they are classified as foreign players, but when considering the foreign player quota, which can hold up to four players per team, including one Asian player, they are considered Korean players.

Ahn Byung-jun is a third-generation Korean-Japanese.

His grandfather and grandmother who lived in Jeju crossed the Korean Strait during the Japanese occupation.

Ahn Byung-jun, who was born and raised in Japan, has three identification cards, as did North Korean representative Ahn Young-hak, who previously played in the K-League.

A travel certificate that is a temporary Korean passport, a North Korean passport, and a Japanese re-entry permit.

He raised his dream of becoming a soccer player at Chosun School and had three paths.

Korea, North Korea, and Japan national players.

Unlike Park Kang-jo, who wore the Taegeuk mark, and Lee Choong-seong, who became Japanese representative after naturalization, Ahn Byung-jun became the North Korean representative in 2007 when he was 17 years old.

The first international competition I participated in as a representative from North Korea was the FIFA Under-17 World Cup.

The host country was Korea, and the place where the North Korean team held the base camp was unfortunately in Jeju, the hometown of Ahn Byung-jun's grandparents.

Ahn Byung-jun, who first stepped on Jeju land since birth, had a particularly bright expression.

It clearly contrasted with a somewhat tense fellow.

More than 13 years have passed, but he remembers it like yesterday.

"This is my grandfather's and grandmother's hometown, so I thought that. Something special. I had that feeling every time I went to Jeju this year."

I didn't have a good memory back then.

"When I came to Korea, I hurt my ankle a lot during my first training."

At that time, North Korea was the first among participating countries to prepare for the competition.

Ahn Byung-jun could not easily shake off the injury.

“I cried a lot at the hotel, knowing that I couldn't play for the game.”

North Korea advanced to the round of 16, but Ahn Byung-jun couldn't play in one game.

And just 10 years later.

Once again, we have a special relationship with Korea.

After playing in the Japanese J-League, he grew up as an adult representative, and he played the first inter-Korean confrontation in his life by replacing the second half 28 minutes with the East Asian Cup held in Tokyo, Japan, and Korea.

Chosun school juniors cheered for'Ahn Byung-jun' with loud voices.

"I don't know how the time passed because the atmosphere of the game was so nervous and I couldn't feel any special feelings that the opponent was Korea."

Although Korea led the attack, North Korea also stood up with a solid defense.

North Korea's own goal in the 19th minute of the second half was the only goal made that day.

"It was a game where I felt that I lacked a lot of power."

The third relationship with Korean football quickly came.

The following year, he played for the J2 League Kumamoto and scored for the first time since his professional debut.

That winter, I get an unexpected offer.

It was a love call from Suwon FC in the second division of the K-League.

▶ [2020.11.30 8news] North Korean representative Ahn Byung-jun, K-League 2'Best Star'

wasn't willing to go to Korea.

"I talked a lot with my wife. My wife gave me courage, saying,'Since we learned Korean language and writing at Chosun school, it would be difficult to communicate."

North Korean national team seniors Jeong Dae-se and Ahn Young-hak also actively recommended.

"The kids couldn't speak Korean at all, but I was worried about sending them to daycare centers and kindergartens. My wife also came to Korea with no friends, seeing only me... in that respect, I thank her and respect her a lot."

His wife and children are both Korean nationals.

When asked about the greatest difficulties he had faced in Korea, he thought for a moment and then proceeded carefully.

"Spicy food."

She covered it with a mask, but smiled lightly and said, "If you ask,'Is this spicy?' before ordering food, it's not spicy. But it's too spicy for me and my wife."

I felt a sign of tactfully avoiding difficult questions.

When asked if he could show the family picture, he was embarrassed and said, "I hope I don't go to the show."

The gaze of the prejudice that his family would have received in our society, and the responsibility of the head of the family to worry about it.

Earlier, Lee Chung-seong remembered his days as the representative of Korean youth.

"I went to Korea because I thought that Koreans would be on my side rather than Japanese. But the'Zainichi guy' asked me why he came here."

I heard even more shocking words.

"Half-legged. I never thought I would hear such a word. I felt the emptiness that my worldview was broken."

Ahn Young-hak, a former North Korean representative, could not avoid discrimination.

After playing in the K-League for four years from 2006 to 2009, he was unable to step on the Korean soil for a while.

"I received wedding invitations from my fellow players, but I couldn't come to Korea for about 3-4 years because the travel certificate didn't come out. I was sad and disappointed when I learned that I couldn't go to Korea because of the political situation."

In South Korea, they were strangers from both South, North, and Japan.

Recently, an advertisement for a sporting goods company broadcast in Japan was a hot potato.

It is a content that Korean-Japanese soccer players, who had to endure discrimination and prejudice, continue their challenges, dreaming of a'world where they can live as they are'.

▶

Going

to the advertisement

Byung-jun Ahn will also take on a bigger challenge in 2021 in the face of a new environment.

First, he moves to Gangwon and prepares for his debut in the K-League Division 1.

There have been cases where he was the top scorer in the second division, including Jonathan and Malkeng, and was ranked as the top scorer in the first division, but Ahn Byung-jun is cautious.

"Just because you did well in K-League 2, there seems to be no guarantee that you will do well in K-League 1. You have to be stronger both physically and mentally."

I was also curious about the thoughts of the North Korean national team.

South and North Korea, which belong to a group in the Qatar World Cup 2nd qualifying round, are scheduled to face off in Korea this year.

"If I were selected for the North Korean national team again, I would be very happy if I could go to the Korean War. Especially, I think my family and friends in Japan, and Koreans living in Japan will be very happy."

Ahn Byung-jun is the fourth K-Leager from North Korea.

The first three were unable to connect with the national team after advancing to the K-League.

From the standpoint of the North Korean national team, it seems that it was not easy to'accept as is' a player playing in Korea.

If Ahn Byung-jun becomes the North Korean representative again, he will become the first North Korean national player in the K-League. 

(Photo = Provided by the Professional Football Federation)