Kim Yu-jeong, the Paris Olympics soccer referee, said, “I’m so happy and excited to be playing in the Olympics. FIFA will look upon my growth positively.” Currently playing as a referee in the men’s soccer K3 league. Jeonju Elementary School female athlete guidance map

Referee Kim Yoo-jung will become the first Korean to referee an Olympic final match in 12 years. Referee Kim was named to the list of 21 referees for the 2024 Paris Olympics announced by FIFA. The photo shows referee Kim refereeing a game in the U-20 Women’s Asian Cup regional preliminaries last year.

The Korean women’s soccer team has participated in the World Cup finals four times, but has never played in the Olympics. The men’s national team, which had competed in the Olympic finals for the ninth time in a row, also failed to win a ticket to the Paris Games, which opens on July 26 (local time). However, this does not mean that Korean soccer players cannot enter the Olympics at all. This is because referee Kim Yoo-jung (35, photo) was named on the list of referees announced by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA). It has been 12 years since referee Hong Eun-ah served as referee at the 2012 London Games.

Referee Kim, whom I recently met near his home in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, said, “During last year’s (Australia/New Zealand) Women’s World Cup, I was the standby referee for all six games. “Even at the Paris Olympics, I thought that the refereeing position would go to my more experienced colleagues,” he said. “I thought that one day I would be able to stand on the Olympic stage. “I’m both happy and shocked because I didn’t expect that opportunity to come so soon,” he said. 카지노사이트

He continued, “I always watch the referee with an attitude of wanting to learn. “It seems like FIFA and other organizations are looking favorably on my little-by-little growth, giving me a big opportunity to grow further,” he said. “Since I’m a former player, I think on the pitch, ‘Oh, if I run, I’ll go this way or I’ll pass that way.’ Thanks to this, he has the advantage of running one or two steps ahead of the players. “I think that point was highly evaluated,” he said.

Judge Kim was a promising defensive midfielder who was selected for the U-15 and U-17 national teams one after another. However, his career as a player was in crisis when he broke his collarbone in his second year at Pohang Women’s Electronic High School. Afterwards, he suffered serious injuries five times until his second year at Widuk University. Referee Kim said, “There had never been any major injuries before that. He returned with his clavicle bone fully healed, but a while later the same spot broke again. Afterwards, his little toe broke, and the next year on the same day, it broke again in the same place. “Even the cartilage in his knee ruptured and he ended up having to take off his uniform,” he said.

After ending his career as a player, he began studying Japanese and even went to Japan as an exchange student. However, the ground kept calling referee Kim. “Six months after he stopped playing, he told his mom, ‘I want to play soccer again,’” said referee Kim. But she said her mom said, ‘Whenever I get a call from school, my heart starts pounding because I’m afraid you’ve gotten hurt again.’ “After hearing those words, I gave up on my dream of becoming a player,” he said. “As I thought, ‘How can I still play on the soccer field even if I’m not a player?’, refereeing naturally came to mind.”

Referee Kim, who started gaining experience in conducting games in the club league, said, After playing in the women’s professional soccer WK League, she is currently serving as a referee in the K3 League, the highest level of men’s semi-professional soccer. He said, “Even while watching the referee, I still had regrets about giving up on being a soccer player. However, my thoughts changed when I became the referee in the K4 League. “Because he referees, he thought he could be a part of men’s soccer,” he said. “My dream is to become a referee that the players and coaching staff absolutely trust.” “He will continue to challenge himself not only in men’s professional soccer but also in the World Cup.”

Referee Kim hopes that her Paris Olympics experience will be helpful to Korean women’s soccer. He said, “When I’m not watching referees, I’m coaching female elementary school athletes in Jeonju. “I will provide good on-site experience to these athletes when I visit Paris so that they can dream of the Olympics,” he said. 안전 슬롯사이트