Chong Tese; translated from Japanese into Korean by Han Young; Renaissance Publishing: 207 pp., 12,000 won
There are a number of Japanese-Korean footballers playing in Japan or overseas clubs. Uniquely for a footballer of his background, Chong Tese he has chosen to play for North Korea’s national team and drew much attention from the South Korean press when he played for the Stalinist state at the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Brazil. The Korean press nicknamed him “the People’s Rooney.”
The third-generation Japanese-Korean first published an autobiography in Japanese in 2011. The Korean version was published last week.
On the cover of the book is a large photo of Chong weeping ahead of the match against Brazil upon hearing the North Korean anthem “Aegukga.”He said that those were “tears of joy” for finally reaching his dream of representing his homeland on the international stage.
Chong, currently plays for FC Koln, and was born in Nagoya, Japan. His father retains a South Korean passport, which makes the footballer a South Korean by nationality. But because of his upbringing in pro-North Korean schools in Japan, Chong has embraced North Korea as his homeland personally and professionally.
Since 2010, there hasn’t been much news about him in the local press. For those who have followed his career since then, the book is a gripping read. The 27-year-old has developed into a charming athlete with potential for international stardom. He is fluent in Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and German.
For a young person, he seems very mature and sure of himself. The book concludes with what he wants to do as a footballer for North Korea and for increasing awareness of the plight of Japanese-Koreans.
— DO JE-HAE