Soccer TONG is a sports segment that proves how everything leads to soccer. In this episode, SBS Korean’s soccer reporter Jun Lee looks into a history of Yanbian FC, a football team founded by Korean-Chinese in Yanbian area.
A football team with a history of 64 years founded by Korean-Chineses in Yanbian, China disbanded. It is due to its sponsoring company, Funde Holdings, not being able to pay tax and this affected Yanbian Football Club.
They were founded in 1965 and regarded as a strong team in the Chinese league. However, after the Chinese communist revolution, Yanbian FC lost its place in Chinese football scene. Also, they struggled financially where they received sponsorship from Korean companies such as Hyundai and Samsung. Despite such support, they were relegated to 2nd and 3rd division.
However, dramatic change happened after Korean coach Park Tae-Ha took Yanbian Funde control and transformed their team into a never-losing squad, where they won the 2nd division league. The fans responded very well with their team success where many of their supporters supported their team with great attendance to the game and gifts to their players. Also, many fans who lived away from Yanbian supported their side when they visited the town they lived in.
It is believed that the club acts as a great mean to bring Korean-ethnic group together in China and their success improves their confidence.
[The full story is available on the podcast above]
