[Full text] Statement from the national soccer team Son Heung-min, Lee Jae-seong, Kim Min-jae, Hwang In-beom, and Hwang Hee-chan

The '92 line' Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), and the '96 line' Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke), Hwang In-beom (Porto), and Kim Min-jae (Munich), who were at odds with the Korean national soccer team, issued a statement under their joint name on the 12th.

Those who were summoned to Doha, Qatar for the national team evaluation match and gathered again said, "We were able to better understand each other's positions by directly listening and explaining things that we had not been able to talk about sufficiently until now. We respect and trust each other's roles and responsibilities, and we will work together to be a good example for young players who will write the next page of Korean soccer."

The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Robert Moreno, will play an evaluation match against Saudi Arabia on the 13th (Korean time).

Below is the full statement.

『A message to fans who love Korean soccer

First of all, we apologize for causing concern to the public and soccer fans with various recent reports related to the national team.

We gathered together at this convocation and honestly shared our thoughts about the national team.

We were able to better understand each other's positions by directly listening and explaining things that had not been discussed sufficiently.

More than anything, it reaffirmed that we all feel the same way.

Korean soccer, which has been stagnant for a while, must develop further than it is now and repay the people's support with performance and results commensurate with its history and status.

Of course, that feeling was the same before and remains the same even now.

Although it was right after a long-distance flight, the conversation lasted for quite some time and each person freely shared their thoughts about the national team's preparation process and operation.

The regret and disappointment of disappointing the people at the last World Cup still remains with all of us, and the starting point of our concern was what needs to change to avoid repeating the same thing.

What I want to make clear is that our national team's actions did not originate from personal conflict with a specific player or interest in a specific issue, but from a common sense of concern that the national team must improve.

Also, it is not true at all that he was trying to fulfill a specific request on the condition of retirement.

The reason I have not explained it in detail in related reports so far is because I thought it was right to discuss and resolve issues related to the national team thoroughly internally first.

There were many things that were known that were different from the facts, but we judged that individually revealing our positions without sufficient conversation in a situation where it is difficult to meet each other in person while working in our own teams could actually lead to further misunderstandings.

Above all, I did not want the discussion, which started with the hope that the national team would improve, to expand into unconfirmed rumors and be seen as a conflict between players, overshadowing its original purpose.

Now, we will put unnecessary controversy aside and focus on the national team we will build together in the future.

We have been working together for Korean soccer for a long time, and we are colleagues who will continue to pursue the same goal.

We will respect and trust each other's roles and responsibilities, and work together to set a good example for young players who will write the next page of Korean soccer.

We will use the time given until the next Asian Cup as an opportunity to prepare more thoroughly. We will communicate more closely with the association to ensure that the disappointments and regrets from the last competition are not repeated.

We know that what the people expect is more sincerity and good performance on the field than our explanations.

We will do our best in this evaluation match as well and repay your encouragement and support with performance and attitude befitting the history and status of Korean soccer.

thank you Heungmin Son, Jaeseong Lee, Minjae Kim, Inbeom Hwang, Heechan Hwang』