Hwang Seon-hong, who survived hell, the real test begins now → “The biggest thing was my not giving up, it’s the beginning, not the end.”

I literally returned from ‘hell’. Coach Hwang Seon-hong of Daejeon Hana was prepared for the relegation playoffs in the worst case. In the end, I achieved a happy ending on my own. However, he did not smile even after confirming his decision to remain. Coach Hwang Seon-hong looked ahead to next year, saying, “I think this is just the beginning. We have to move forward toward a higher place.”

Director Hwang Seon-hong had a turbulent year in 2024. He, who was the coach of the Korean under-23 soccer team, took responsibility for the team’s failure to advance to the Olympics last April and laid down the baton. Daejeon Hana Citizens, who were struggling in the K League 1 relegation zone at the time, selected Hwang Seon-hong as a firefighter. The gaze towards Hwang Seon-hong was cold. His resignation from Daejeon in 2020 due to poor performance has already been discussed again. Hwang Seon-hong proved it with results. He secured 9th place with the last round remaining. Daejeon has been walking a tightrope in the relegation zone. Hwang Seon-hong’s match showed its true value in the game. The split was divided and in the final round, Daejeon swept 10 points with 3 wins and 1 draw. Director Hwang Seon-hong completed the first mission by saving Daejeon from the brink.

This is not enough to restore my greatly damaged pride and honor. He said he was “not very happy” when Daejeon escaped last place in August. He expressed his intention that he was not satisfied with simply remaining in the first division. Even on the 10th, the day it was decided to stay after defeating Incheon, he did not say anything, saying, “Now is not the end. There is a long way to go. We need to create a team that fans can understand. It could be another beginning.”

Director Hwang Seon-hong said that the most important thing is ‘the heart of not giving up.’ He said, “There is a saying that if you stop because it’s too hard, that’s the end. I think life is a series of challenges. Isn’t Hwang Seon-hong not giving up on himself and continuing to challenge himself? I will continue to do so in the future.” . Coach Hwang Seon-hong received a difficult offer even before the wound of being eliminated from the Olympics had fully healed. Rather than hiding, Director Hwang chose to attack head-on.

If you take office as a coach in the middle of the season, there are a lot of obstacles. It is necessary to organize traffic from top to bottom, including player composition, strategy, direction, and motivation. This must be done at the same time as the league progresses, with the rankings changing from game to game. Coach Hwang Seon-hong stuck out his tongue, saying, “I felt that it was very difficult. It seemed to be much more difficult than the start of the season.” In particular, he reflected, “As expected, there was a big adjustment problem. I had to lead the harmony between the existing players and the new players. Since I did not lead the winter training, it was not easy to make the right decision to suit the situation.”

He didn’t put himself forward. Credit goes to the players and supporters. Coach Hwang Seon-hong said, “It was a very difficult game, but I am grateful to the players who overcame the challenge well. Also, we were able to stay thanks to the fans who always came far and supported us. We enjoyed it for a day or two and immediately prepared for the next one.” “It has to be done,” he said.

Daejeon stayed in the second division from 2016 to 2022. They were promoted last year and finished in 8th place. This year, we managed to catch the tail of K League 1. The highest score ever in the first division is 6th place. Coach Hwang Seon-hong led Pohang and Seoul to the K-League championship in 2013 and 2016, respectively. Attention is focused on how high Hwang Seon-hong’s ‘challenge’ will raise Daejeon.
Reporter Han Dong-hoon dhhan@sportschosun.com