Korean football coach presents 'sports diplomacy' in Africa
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Lim Heung-sae
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korean football coach Lim Heung-sae, 59, has run a “hope project” through sports for youth in South Sudan by teaching football to children there.
Lim, who taught some legendary Korean footballers, including Hong Myung-bo, first came to Africa in 2006 for his missionary service to help needy children in South Africa.
Lim taught football to children in a country where many young people had long suffered from hunger and AIDS.
He also made teaching materials and DVDs about football, distributing them not only in South Africa but in 54 other countries on the continent.
The South African government recognized his dedication and service, granting permission to build a football school there when the South Africa World Cup took place in 2010.
Lim then decided to go to South Sudan to help more deprived children.
For his project there, Lim held a fundraising event in Korea to buy footballs for South Sudanese children. Hong and former national team footballer Kim Joo-sung also joined the event and sent a total of 13,000 footballs to the country.
Recognizing Lim’s efforts, the South Sudanese government offered him the head coach position of the country’s national football team.
Lim took the offer in January last year, leading the team’s qualification for the 2015 African Cup of Nations.
In a match with Mozambique, Lim’s team finished in a draw ― the team’s first draw after consecutive losses in major international tournaments.
“I saw many fans shedding tears of joy,” said Lim.
“Then, I heard South Sudan fans chanting my name. My team was eliminated from the tournament but it was a special day for the country.”
Lim said the country’s national squad footballers had to work two jobs to support their training, and there was no football training field because of the country’s economic difficulty.
Lim also never received a salary from the nation’s football association.
“I just want kids here to play football instead of holding rifles in their hands,” said Lim.
“Korea also rose from the setback of war, and many sports stars gave hope to people. I would like football to be a ladder to bring hope for the country.”