Managing Director Kim Cheon's risk for correction has been erased for now, and another year has been confirmed for re-employment of military personnel
Dec 25, 2024
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An official from the soccer community said in Sports Chosun on the 25th that coach Chung will maintain his status as a military officer for another year. The re-appointment has been confirmed recently,' he hinted.
Chung's future has been a hot topic of interest in the winter transfer market. On June 1, 2023, he took the helm of Gimcheon as a military officer. The appointment period for military personnel was two years. As scheduled, he would lead Gimcheon until June 2025. However, he was recently confirmed to be rehired for a year. He will be able to play the 2025 season in a stable manner.
Gimcheon has a different selection process from corporate or civic clubs due to the nature of the team called the Armed Forces Sports Department. It must follow the regulations set by the military. A military officer leader must meet the prerequisite. According to the requirements for applying for professional military experience officers and general term military staff organized by the Ministry of National Defense in 2023, when Chung was hired, the men's soccer guidance officer of the Armed Forces Sports Unit must be a person with a "1st class of professional sports instructor". In addition, you must have a P-level certificate according to K-League regulations. At that time, coach Chung was the only Korean soccer leader to have both a P-level certificate and a first-class professional sports instructor certificate.
Coach Chung made a splash by taking the helm of Gimcheon. Gimcheon won a surprise come-from-behind victory in the final match of the K League 2 (division 2) in 2023. It won promotion to K League 1 Direct in 2024. It was even fiercer in the 'Hana Bank K League 1 2024'. He led the team stably even in a situation where players were repeatedly discharged from the military and enlisted. Gimcheon ranked third with 18 wins, 9 draws and 11 losses (63 points) this season. It was the best performance in the history of the military team. In addition, he also enjoyed producing A representative players such as Park Seung-wook and Kim Bong-soo.
Coach Chung, who has been recognized for his leadership, was named a candidate for the Coach Award at the K League Awards in 2024. In addition, he received a lot of attention in the off-season manager transfer market. According to the soccer community, coach Chung is known to have received love calls from multiple K League 1 clubs. However, coach Chung continues to accompany Gimcheon through re-appointment.
Variables remain. He is currently on leave as a professor of soccer at Kyungil University's Department of Professional Sports. As scheduled, I have to go back to school in the second semester of 2025. However, there is room for interpretation that Gimcheon is a national service as it belongs to the military. Chung's exact future is not expected to be confirmed until the first half of 2025. First of all, he will lead the team to Vietnam's Pantiet on the 27th for a winter training camp.
epi17@sportschosun.com
