A football team made up of South Koreans is making headlines for its success in the lower leagues of Spanish football.
Lee Min-sun looks at the story behind the team, and their dream of making it all the way to the Spanish national leagues.
Spanish soccer team Qum FC is entirely composed of expatriate players from South Korea. The rare lineup of all foreign players competing in an official Spanish league came about due to the difficulties facing aspiring footballers in Korea.
Qum, which means dream in Korean, was created to give hopes and opportunities for young South Korean soccer players who had troubling experiences with sports agencies. Some soccer players in Korea get victimized by sports agents who often lure players with a bright future but actually exploit their income and damage their prospects.
"When I first visited South Korea with Ruben for business we saw soccer players and heard that they could play at the second or third division level. Spain is the world's number one for soccer. Players can learn more and achieve good results if they are able to get coached in Spain. That's why I created this team."
"I couldn't trust anyone when I first got here because I went to Thailand but was scammed by an agent. But little by little, I start to trust the Qum FC team and the players."
The team started off in Spain's lowest division, but this month, they won their second promotion to reach the top league of Spain's central region. Now the team are just one step away from competing in the third division of Spain's national league.
"Well, we have two goals. The first one is to try to climb as high as possible. We have always said that our goal is to play in the King's Cup, to be promoted to the third division, to win that league and go up to second division B, which is the top category in which a team can play with all foreign players."
After overcoming the difficulties and bad experiences of the past, these young South Korean players have found a new hope abroad and are eager to make their dream come true.
Lee Min-sun Arirang News.
