Jae-han: Those were good old days

KUALA LUMPUR: Former South Korean star striker Kim Jae-han (pic) still remembers the good old days when he dazzled football fans in the once prestigious Merdeka Tournament. 

The newly elected Korean FA (KFA) vice-president said that he was happy to be here again after almost three decades. 

He remembers the four successful trips to KL with the South Korean team, who emerged as the champions in 1972, ’74, ’77 and ’78. 

“Of course, I cannot forget the good old days ... I was the top scorer twice,” said the 60-year-old Jae-han through an interpreter at the AFC House in Bukit Jalil yesterday. 

In the Merdeka Tournament, Jae-han forged a deadly combination with another top goal poacher, Cha Bum-kun. He played for the national team from 1972-78 before he turned to coaching. 

“It’s only a brief visit for me and I have many, many fond memories of Kuala Lumpur. I can recall your national team’s star players – M. Chandran, Wong Choon Wah, Chow Chee Keong, Soh Chin Aun, R. Arumugam and Mokhtar Dahari,” said Jae-han. 

He said that the Merdeka Tournament had played a significant role in the development of national teams in Asia, including South Korea. 

“Football cannot grow by itself. In fact, it was through competitions like the Merdeka Tournament that I gained much recognition in Asia in the 70s.  

“But the only setback of my playing career is that we did not qualify to play in the World Cup Finals,” said Jae-han, who attributed the rise of Korean football to the introduction of the pro K-League in 1982. 

Jae-han said the strong infrastructure and job opportunities to take up pro football had made a big difference to their rapid progress at the international level. 

Since the 1960s, South Korea have emerged as a major footballing power in Asia, winning several prestigious Asian football championships. They qualified for the World Cup Finals for five consecutive times from 1986. 

When they co-hosted the 2002 Finals with Japan, South Korea qualified for the semi-finals to chalk up a first for Asia. 

Jae-han said that his immediate task since taking up his new post with the KFA last month was to see the national team do well in the Asian Cup Finals in July. 

“We have not won the Cup in 30 years. The KFA are preparing a strong team and we hope to do well,” he said.