“It took 27 years.” This is how he feels honestly. He longed for the K-League. However, he couldn’t find a position where he just wanted to be the kind of player who played in 53 matches in the K-League. Eventually, he unraveled the threads in foreign countries, including Hong Kong and Malaysia. This is the story of Kim Pan-gon, 55, the new coach of Ulsan HD.
Kim took his first step at an inaugural press conference held at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Sinmun-ro, Seoul on Tuesday. Kim made his professional debut at Ulsan in 1992 when he was an active player, and spent five seasons until 1996. This made me feel very emotional. “I left Ulsan 28 years ago in the winter with a lot of heart and regrets. It is a great personal honor to be here as Ulsan coach 28 years later. I am happy but I also sat here with a considerable sense of responsibility,” he said with a smile.
Kim played for Jeonbuk Hyundai for one more season in 1997, before ending his short career in the K-League. He took the helm of the best K-League club in 27 years as he entered the leadership path. Ulsan is the leading club that won the K-League 1 title last year following 2022. As Hong Myung-bo changed his words to become the head coach of the A-team, Kim was appointed as the new head coach on April 28.
“I have a motto at the beginning of my career as a leader. I wanted to be that director, not that kind of director,” Kim said. “I have experienced many leaders, but I had a strong hunger. When I was asked about my nickname during my active duty, I talked about my nickname as a “Fighter in the Wind” when I was a player. There is also a movie with the same title that depicts a lifetime of Choi Bae-dal. What she did was breaking the seal. From the first day as a leader to today, I felt like I was breaking the seal. It was my first time everywhere I went,” Kim said. “Everyone had more concerns than expected. I came here after overcoming everything. I know that expectations and concerns coexist. I will do my best confidently and responsibly, thinking that I will break the seal again this time. I will do my best to achieve all the things I expect well.”
It was when he was the head coach of the Hong Kong national team that Kim started to stand out as a coach at Busan I’Park. He made such a big splash that he was nicknamed “Hong Kong’s Hiddink.” In 2018, he turned into an administrator and served as the chairman of the selection committee of the Korean Football Association’s national team coach. He worked on recruiting Paulo Bento. He returned to the ground in 2021 by joining hands with Malaysian soccer, and his journey led to his first K-League baton. “I had hunger and thirst for the K-League. But I didn’t want to say that I wanted to come first. I was waiting for that time. I responded when the time came.”
Hong has led Ulsan, which is ranked second in many years, to the top. Kim respected the former coach. He said, “I had four training sessions until yesterday. When I joined the team, the players were excellent in quality and I found them attractive. I think Hong Myung-bo has improved our team well over the past three and a half years. I will take the influential part of the K-League so that I can take it to the next level and develop it further.” 안전놀이터
Ulsan has been out of the top three teams since Hong’s departure. It is currently in fourth place with 42 points. Above Ulsan are Gimcheon Sangmu (45 points), Gangwon FC, and Pohang Steelers (44 points). Kim’s first task is to turn the tables. “I told the players my belief. I seek active offensive development. I want a leading defense lead. From 1 minute to 90 minutes, we control the game. We seek victory.” “90 minutes is not important. We will see if we contribute to victory. I also like players who are hungry for one minute. I want to see their capabilities to quickly acquire tactical suggestions. The most urgent thing is to bring out the proposed game model in a short period of time.”