They look alike somehow. In the K-League, where teen fever is sweeping, there is a young gun with a special DNA. They are Jin Joon-seo (19, Kangwon) and Kang Joo-hyuk (18, Seoul), who both scored their debut goals in the 25th round of the Hana Bank K-League 1 2024.
Jin’s mother Jeon Eun-young and Kang Joo-hyuk’s mother Jeon Seon-ha are siblings. She inherited the DNA of her mother, who was talented in track and field. The youngest among one son and four daughters who were talented in track and field, Jeon was an athlete. Her husband is also a track and field athlete. Jeon was not an athlete, but she was also famous for her athletic DNA.
They say that Jin and Kang Joo-hyuk’s extraordinary athletic abilities, including their sporty speed, did not come out by accident. The two are deeper in friendship than any other cousins. They started studying in Australia when they were young and how they started playing soccer. They followed Kang’s brother, who started playing soccer first. Jin studied together and became an elite player in the sixth grade of elementary school. Kang joined elite soccer from the beginning. They share everything together and are partners living in the same apartment.
Is it a coincidence? They joined Kangwon and Seoul, respectively, this season. After going through Incheon National University, Jin set foot in the summer transfer market in June and Kang Joo-hyuk through the semi-professional system. They made their debut as professionals around the same time, but also scored in the same round.
Jin scored his team’s fourth goal six minutes after the substitution was introduced in a home game against Jeonbuk on Sunday. Gangwon scored a 4-2 victory with Jin’s net on the day. Kang was as happy as his own when he heard Jin’s goal. Kang, who seemed to receive positive energy, scored the first goal in the first minute of the second half in an away game against Incheon (Seoul 1-0 win) on the following day. He grabbed the ball that Ilyuchenko dropped with his head and cleverly overcame the opponent team’s defense check, kicking it with his left foot. Jin celebrated watching the scene.
Jeon Eun-young said, “The day Jun-seo scored a goal was really impressive. It was amazing that Ju-hyuk also scored his debut goal the next day.” Jeon Sun-ha also said, “I watched it from the field. After Jun-seo scored the previous day, Jun-hyuk said, “I’m going to score a goal, too.” It’s a relief that he came out of the stadium as I’ve been preparing. I really liked Jun-seo, who was with me,” he welcomed. “I used to ‘push’ Joo-hyuk a lot, maybe because I was an athlete. I can’t help feeling pressure, but I think Ju-hyuk followed me well.” 스포츠토토
In this season’s K-League, the top 10 players including Yang Min-hyuk (Gangwon), Yoon Do-young (Daejeon), and Park Seung-soo (Suwon) have been especially impressive. “It’s a stimulus for kids. It gives them confidence and motivation to do it,” Jeon said. “If you try to be humble, the results will follow, so let’s cheer up.”
Jeon Eun-young also cheered, saying, “Jun-seo and Joo-hyuk are both working hard. I thought the result would be good. I think it will grow even more if I think about what I lack and be humble.”