Young Soccer Stars Become Heroes: Military Players Step Up to Help Elderly Woman

Four young men who gained attention online for assisting an elderly woman were revealed to be soccer players fulfilling their mandatory military service, the Korean military soccer team announced Monday.

Gimcheon Sangmu FC shared the story and a photograph taken by a resident of Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang Province, who initially reported the incident on the team’s official website.

“I witnessed a group of young men with cropped hair, wearing military t-shirts, rushing to help an elderly woman pull a handcart and support her as she walked… They turned out to be players from Gimcheon Sangmu,” the resident wrote.

Sangmu FC, based in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang Province, is part of the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps. A select group of athletes is assigned to the corps to participate in sports as an alternative form of mandatory military service. In this case, they play for the team competing in Korea’s top-tier K League 1.

The four players – Go Jae-hyeon, Kim Ju-chan, Park Se-jin, and Jeon Byeong-kwan – enlisted in May. They encountered the woman in need while returning to their unit around 7 p.m. on June 23.

Unable to post the photos directly on the Sangmu FC website, the original witness sent them to the team. The images released on Monday showed three players pulling the handcart while another supported the woman.

Sangmu FC Coach Yoo Lo-mon commended the players, noting that they rushed to assist the woman even before he could give any instructions. He expressed pride in their actions.