There is a craze for Korean leaders in Southeast Asian soccer.
Chung Jae-kwon, 54, who coached the national soccer team at Hanyang University, was appointed as interim head coach of the Laos Under-19 national team on Wednesday. Chung will lead the Laos Under-19 national team for about a month to play the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Asian Cup qualifying round.
The Laos U-19 national team belongs to Group G of the U-20 Asian Cup qualifying round and will face Iran, Mongolia and India in succession from the 25th to the 29th in Vientiane, the capital. The teams that ranked first in the 10 groups and the five teams that performed well among the second place will qualify for the U-20 Asian Cup finals in China next year.
Laos, which is considered a weak player even in Southeast Asia, has set a big target. Laos, which is aiming to advance to the finals of the championship, has entrusted Chung with an important role. Chung, who took the helm of his alma mater Hanyang University in 2014, proved his leadership by training several professional players, including Joo Min-gyu, Du-jae (Ulsan HD), and Kim Hyun-wook (Daejeon Hana Citizen). “I was impressed by Chung’s leadership. His expertise and experience will be of great help to Laos,” the Laos Football Association said.
Chung’s trip to Laos has been attributed to the “Korean Wave” of soccer in Southeast Asia. It is clear why Southeast Asian countries prefer Korean coaches. This is because it guarantees a good outcome. He started with coach Park Hang-seo, 67, who created a myth in Vietnam. While Chung was in charge from October 2017 to January last year, Vietnam’s FIFA ranking rose from 121st to 96th. 안전놀이터
Manager Shin Tae-yong (55), who has been in charge of Indonesia since 2020, is known for his success. He advanced Indonesia to the round of 16 at the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup for the first time in history, and successfully advanced to the final preliminary round in Asia for the 2026 North-China World Cup.
In addition, Kim Pan-gon (55, current Ulsan coach) took charge of Malaysia and led the team to a 3-3 draw with Korea in the group league of the Qatar Asian Cup, while Kim Sang-sik (48), who took the helm of Vietnam in May, is also highly anticipated in the local community. As Korean leaders’ overseas expansion increases, not only their growth but also their global reputation can be expected to be enhanced.