Director Kim Pan-gon, press conference on the 5th, “Always in the position of a challenger, I will continue to challenge” “To bring joy to the Cheoyong warriors”
Professional football K League 1 Ulsan HD’s 12th head coach Kim Pan-gon expressed his determination to do his best to achieve all that the club and the Cheoyong Warriors (Ulsan supporters) expect of him.
At his inaugural press conference held at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 5th, Coach Kim said, “I left Ulsan 28 years ago with a heavy and regretful heart. From the first day I started as a coach until today, I felt like I was ‘breaking the seal’,” and expressed his feelings about his inauguration. “I know that there are both concerns and expectations about me. This time, I will do my best with a sense of responsibility, determined to break the seal again.” On the
28th of last month, Ulsan appointed Coach Kim as the successor to Coach Hong Myung-bo, who left for the national football team.
At the time, Ulsan expressed their expectations, saying, “Coach Kim has shown his leadership by taking turns leading domestic club teams and national teams in other countries for the past 20 years. This year, he will be making his official K-League managerial debut for his former team, Ulsan.”
Coach Kim, who played for Ulsan (1992-1996) during his active years, took the path of a coach after hanging up his football boots.
He gained experience as the coach of the Hong Kong national team (2009-2010, 2012-2017), Hong Kong club South China AA (2008-2010), and the Malaysian national team (2022-2024) before taking up the Ulsan position this summer.
Regarding the breaking of the seal mentioned in his inauguration speech, Coach Kim said, “I think I’ve always been a challenger. When I first took over as the coach of the Hong Kong national team, everyone had questions. He said, “It was the same when I was the chairman of the Korea Football Association’s coach selection committee and the coach of the Malaysian national team,” and “As always, Ulsan is preparing to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (ACLE). I will continue to challenge myself and make it successful.” Coach Kim, who is making his first appearance in the K-League as a full-time coach, said, “I have always had a hunger and thirst for the K-League. However, I did not want to be the first to say that I wanted to come. I thought the timing was important and I responded when the call came.” He added, “I have always tried to improve and maintain my capabilities. I am continuing to work hard to become a good coach.” When asked if he felt pressured to take charge of Ulsan, a leading K-League club, he said, “I thought I had to come to Ulsan at least once. I thought it would be good if the season was completely over and I had enough time to prepare. It wasn’t the right timing, but I wasn’t too worried. I also had experience as an interim coach when I was coaching Busan I-Park (2005-2008). I thought I could cover it up with the various experiences I have accumulated.” After taking office in Ulsan, Coach Kim conducted several training sessions to get to know the players. He said, “We trained together and I felt that they were of superior quality. The player composition is also quite stable. The atmosphere was brighter than I thought and I felt the energy,” and shared his football philosophy, saying, “I talked to the players about leading the attack and playing football proactively in defense.” Coach Kim’s strength is his ability to achieve high perfection in a short period of time, which he acquired while leading the Hong Kong and Malaysian national teams . Coach Kim said, “The national team had to bring out the best performance in the shortest amount of time. (In Ulsan) I will try to incorporate good football as quickly as possible and manage the second half well.” He chose former Manchester United (EPL) manager Alex Ferguson as the coach who inspired him. Coach Kim smiled, saying it was a trade secret, and said, “The victory he pursued was quite impressive. I still include it in my football philosophy and it is included in my game model. He gave me the image of a manager who manages not only the players but also the entire club in addition to tactical capabilities. He said, “I have tried to develop the ability to see things from a bigger perspective as a manager, beyond a coach.” Regarding his goals for this season, Coach Kim said, “I will win the K League 1 and Hana Bank Korea Cup (formerly FA Cup) and challenge for the ACLE finals,” and “I will do my best to bring joy to Ulsan fans and the Cheoyong Warriors with good results,” and concluded his inaugural press conference. 바카라게임