Professional volleyball KB Insurance Han Seong-jeong (27, 1m95cm) greets fans before and after every game. The fan’s height is 1m34cm. The height difference between the two reaches 61 cm.
Short fans drive a distance of 200 km (Okcheon ↔ Uijeongbu Gymnasium one way) with uncomfortable body to find the stadium. The time he meets Han Seong-jeong is as short as an instant. But the happiness fans feel is as long as eternity. The affectionate father and son meet like this at the volleyball court.
Han Seong-jeong is a well-known filial son in the volleyball world. He touched the hands of his father, Han Eun-beom (58), and said, “He did everything for me. When I was young, I worked in cold water for a long time and got frostbite.” Almost none,” he said sadly. Mr. Han has a level 3 physical disability (dwarfism).
Han Seong-jeong is an outside hitter (left) who scored 234 points in a total of 34 games in the 2022-23 season. He is good at attacking as well as defending and receiving. Joined Woori Card as the first overall in 2017-18, and transferred to KB Insurance in December 2021. Last year, he qualified as a free agent (FA) for the first time in his life and signed a contract with KB Insurance for a total of 500 million won.
His eldest son grew up watching his father’s small back.
His father was injured before he could even walk. It is said that his older brother was carrying young Han on his back and then dropped him behind him. Because he did not receive proper treatment at the time, he lived an uncomfortable life for the rest of his life. Han Seong-jeong expressed regret, saying, “He went to the hospital recently and was told that his father’s organs were in place, so surgery could be dangerous.”
I had a lot of worries until I held my eldest son Han Seong-jeong in my arms. Mr. Han confessed, “I have taken a lot of medicine since I was young. I boiled a lot, thinking, ‘I might not be born with a disability’.” He was delighted to hear that the nurse said ‘the child is normal’ and said, “I also gave birth to a son.”
Contrary to concerns, Han Seong-jeong has been taller than her peers by more than one hand since kindergarten. When he was in elementary school, he was offered a scout for the volleyball team. For over a month, leaders have been visiting the house every day. He initially held back. Mr. Han said, “Because I was a poor person, I lived on state subsidies. Even if I wanted to work, there was no place to write me because I was not physically fit. I did manual labor such as driving a truck or maintaining a water supply, but my income was meager, so I lived on the minimum cost of living. But my children who exercise Doesn’t it cost a lot of money to grow?”
After meeting with the director, Mr. Han asked his son, ‘Do you want to play volleyball?’ The answer came back to be ‘yes’. Han Seong-jeong looked back and said, “I couldn’t even go to the academy because of my poor circumstances. Mr. Han said, “When I was in school, I stayed alone in the classroom during PE class. I couldn’t stop my son from wanting to exercise after experiencing such pain.”
Recalling his father’s dedication, Han Seong-jeong focused only on sports. Mr. Han said, “When the children of the volleyball team skipped training and ran away as a group, Sung-jeong stayed alone and exercised. They also understood and looked after Seongjeong’s circumstances.” Han Seong-jeong said, “I knew my father worked hard to earn money. He said there was nothing I could do except work hard.”
Han Seong-jeong, who led Hongik University to the first regular league victory in college volleyball, challenged the rookie draft before graduation. He is in order to earn money early considering the difficult family situation. Woori Card, which obtained the right to be nominated in the first place, nominated Han Seong-jeong as the first overall pick without hesitation. Mr. Han said, “I was nervous. There were many outstanding players at the time. When my son’s name was called first, I thought, ‘Is this a dream or a real life, did I hear it wrong?’ he recalled. The father said, “Isn’t it heaven’s help to join the first rank? Isn’t it more difficult than being a judge or prosecutor?”
The father secretly cheered on his proud son. He did not go to the stadium, concerned that ‘the son would be ashamed of his father’ and ‘he would not be looked upon with a cold gaze by those around him. The son asked, “The other parents come to the volleyball court, but why doesn’t the father come?” The father replied, “I’m afraid you’ll die for nothing.” Han Seong-jeong said, “Rather, those words made me very sad.” The son said, “I’ve never thought of it that way. I think I’ll have more strength and be able to do better if my father comes.”
Mr. Han recalled, “When I asked my son, ‘Dad, aren’t you embarrassed?’, he said, ‘Not at all. Why am I looking at other people’s eyes? If someone curses at my father, I won’t let go.’ Han Seong-jeong said, “If I do well, people around me praise me, saying, ‘I have a good son.’
Mr. Han said, “My eldest son, Seong-jeong, grew up early because of a difficult family environment. I have never had a hard time because of my child.” I raised all of them,” he shrugged, saying, “It’s reassuring to walk with them on both sides.”
Their hometown is Okcheon, Chungcheongbuk-do. When Han Seong-jeong was in kindergarten, he went to downtown Okcheon and lived in a rented apartment. When Han Seong-jeong joined the pros, she had to move out of her rental apartment. Mr. Han said, “When Seong-jeong joined the pros and started earning income, the conditions for living as well as being poor were canceled.”
Han Seong-jeong gave her father a deposit of 150 million won. Mr. Han recalled, “I’ve never seen such a large amount of money. I tried to find it with cash and spread it all on the living room floor to take a picture.” Mr. Han said, “I used it all to pay off my debt. Rather, it was not enough. In the meantime, I had more debt due to training and living expenses. I also had to thank my acquaintances who wrote loan guarantees for us, poor people. I thanked those who helped me in difficult times. “he said. All debts have recently been paid off.
Han Seong-jeong still gives her father her income, excluding pocket money. It was arranged by Seongjeong Han, where her father and younger brother now live. He built a nice two-story house on the site of an old earthen house where his grandfather, grandmother and father lived. He explained, “Her grandmother, who has taken care of me since I was young, is like a mother to me. She wanted her grandmother to come back and live in her old house.” Her grandmother passed away last November.
Han Seong-jeong will sign a 100-year marriage contract in June. One of the foremost considerations of marriage was his father. Han Seong-jeong said, “When I said, ‘I can support my father for the rest of my life,’ my prospective wife also said, ‘Of course.'” Mr. Han said, “My daughter-in-law is very kind-hearted.” Han Seong-jeong promised, “The prospective father-in-law also lost an arm in a car accident and is forming a consensus. I will also do well to my father-in-law and mother-in-law.”
April 20th is the Day of Persons with Disabilities. Mr. Han said, “Compared to the past, the perception of the disabled has improved a lot. The person concerned knows the gaze or the attitude of ignoring the disabled. There are still many things to improve.”
Han Seong-jeong said, “My mother also had an intellectual disability. My father said, ‘You respect and take care of the weak more than the strong,’ ‘If you meet someone in need on the road, help them.’ If I didn’t do well in my studies, I was passed on, but if I acted rudely or didn’t help the weak, he would scold me severely.
When his son was traded to KB Insurance, Mr. Han brought home a life-size stand made by his former team, Woori Card. He regrets that it will be thrown away if he does not bring it. Even after seeing my beloved son at the stadium, I watch the reruns over and over again. Han Seong-jeong recently presented his father with a large 75-inch TV. Mr. Han said, “I have to go watch my son’s game until he retires or my body allows it.”
Han Seong-jeong said,안전놀이터 “I think driving at night is too dangerous and tiring, so I discourage you from coming to the stadium. Then they say, ‘It’s not fun when you see it at home.'” “I grew up like this because my father supported me. There is only one point. I hope you will be healthy and make many good memories in the future.”