Why Japan's Hong Myung-bo accepted the position of coach for Suwon in the second division → As a confession leader for the first time

Jul 31, 2025

Why Japan's Hong Myung-bo accepted the position of coach for Suwon in the second division → As a confession leader for the first time



Japanese soccer legend Masami Ihara confessed why he chose Suwon Samsung.

Ihara is a legend that is unconditionally mentioned in Japanese soccer history. Born in 1967, Lee Ha-ra played for the Japanese national team since 1988 and played 122 A matches. This is a milestone that ranks fourth in the most A matches in Japanese soccer history. In terms of Korea, he was a player who had a status comparable to that of the Korean national team coach Hong Myung-bo. He led Japan to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup championship in 1992.

Hanangni Yokohama F, one of Japan's most prestigious titles in the J-League.He is remembered as a legend of Marinos. In 1995, he won the J-League in Japan. After retiring from his career, he walked down the road as a commentator and leader.




He started his career as a leader as a coach for Japan's under-23 (U-23). Since then, he has worked as a head coach for Kashiwa Reysol for a long time and has also served as an acting coach. The official coach was when he took charge of J League 2 Abispa Fukuoka in 2015. He was recognized for his leadership by promoting Abispa to J-League 1. He returned as head coach of Kashiwa in 2019 and worked as a full-time coach from 2023. After stepping down in 2024, he worked as a commentator and recently decided to work as a coach for Suwon.
Why Japan's Hong Myung-bo accepted the position of coach for Suwon in the second division → As a confession leader for the first time
사진=스포니치
Lee Ha-ra's trip to Korea, Suwon, a prestigious K-League player, was also surprised in Japan as he stayed in K-League 2. This is because it is not easy for Japanese legend, who also served as the head coach of J League 1, to join the Korean club as a coach, not a coach.

At the time, coach Lee Ha-ra said on his personal website "It's my first overseas challenge, a new challenge, but I want to do my best to contribute to the achievement of my team's goals."

I'm Ihara, a coach who has been working in Suwon since July. After joining coach Ihara, Suwon is performing well with 3 wins and 1 loss. Coach Ihara revealed why he decided to go to Suwon through the Japanese media Sportichi Annex on the 31st.
Why Japan's Hong Myung-bo accepted the position of coach for Suwon in the second division → As a confession leader for the first time
사진=J리그
He said, `This year, I was commentating on soccer or helping with professional licensing classes, but from July 1, I was appointed as Suwon coach of the K League 2 in Korea. There was something that needed me, and it was good timing because I was thinking that I wanted to expand my width as a leader. They may share opinions with staff or lead training. Everyone respects Japan, and I am eager to learn from it,' he said, confessing the reason for going to Suwon.

Coach Ihara then watched the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship held in Suwon and met with Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu and staff. The match between Korea and Japan was a battle for each other's pride, and there were many high-quality players in the Japanese national team, which is composed of domestic players. 'I want to go to the World CupThe fighting spirit was also felt, and the players' base grew as new competition was created. I'm also learning as a leader, and I'm thinking that I want to be a coach once again in the J-League. To that end, I want to do my best to promote Suwon to the first division first. He also talked about his life in Korea and future career directions.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.