Former Jeju FC goalkeeper Yoo Yeon-soo, who retired after an unfortunate drunk driving accident, expressed his gratitude to his senior, Koo Ja-cheol.
Former Jeju United goalkeeper Yoo Yeon-soo and his father, Yoo Woong-sam, appeared on YTN’s “New Rider” on the 15th.
Yoo said that he struggled a lot before deciding to retire.
Yoo was born in 1998 and is 25 years old this year. He started his professional career with Jeju United FC in 2020.
However, Yoo was involved in a car accident last October while traveling with teammates Kim Dong-joon, Lim Jun-seop, and trainer Yoon Jae-hyun. At the time, the driver’s blood alcohol level was at the level of a revoked license.
While his passengers, including the trainer who was driving, suffered only bruises, Yoo was seriously injured and underwent emergency surgery.
He became a paraplegic as a result of the accident and decided to retire from active duty.
In an interview, Yoo said, “I think I was the saddest because I was in a wheelchair and I couldn’t play soccer. I cried a lot and was very frustrated because I couldn’t do the exercises I had been doing and couldn’t play soccer,” he said, sharing his feelings after his sudden retirement.
The perpetrator has yet to apologize.
A traffic accident trial is currently underway. Mr. Yoo Woong-sam said that Koo Ja-cheol is helping him through his lawyer.
With the help of Koo’s lawyer, Yoo was able to apply for a change in the indictment. Initially, he was diagnosed with 32 weeks and the assailant was charged with general injury.
However, Yoo Yeon-soo suffered a severe injury of paraplegia that did not heal in 32 weeks, and through her lawyer, she applied for a change in the indictment.
In addition, Koo was the first to contact Yoo after the accident. Koo also plays for Jeju United. He was in Qatar for the World Cup at the time, but he sent a message to Yoo.
Yoo said, “When he was younger, he went abroad and faced a lot of racism and suffered a lot, and he sent me a long KakaoTalk message telling me how he overcame that and how he lived his life. I was inspired by that. I think I’ve survived.”
In the interview, Yoo said he plans to take on new challenges through Para sports.
Jeju United announced Yoo’s retirement on Aug. 8 and held a retirement ceremony during halftime of the game on Aug. 11. 토토사이트
