Notably, he has never been selected for the national team by age since he started playing soccer, and his desperation was all the more urgent. It is in the same vein that Seo Min-woo, who is leaving for Gimcheon Sangmu after saying goodbye to Gangwon for a while to serve in the military, even came up with detailed plans.
Soon after winning 2-1 in the second round of the Hana One-Q K League 2023 promotion playoff (PO) against Gimpo FC at Gangneung Stadium on the 9th, Seo Min-woo met with reporters in the mixed zone (joint coverage area) and said, "My goal is to grow one step further and wear the Taegeuk mark. If I show my improved performance, I think the day will definitely come."
Seo Min-woo, who took his first steps on the professional stage while wearing a Gangwon uniform in 2020, has grown steadily every year and has established himself as an indispensable core this season as well, following last season, the modifier "irreplaceable resource" follows. He played as a built-in mainstay since the beginning of the season, but he briefly left in the middle of the season due to an injury, but soon returned and took charge of the midfield.
In fact, he played 3.050 minutes, the most among the Gangwon players this year, following Kim Young-bin (32), the main center back who played 3,783 minutes. Whenever he participated in the game, he constantly moved around the ground, taking care of inconvenient tasks, and spearheaded the build-up of the back, playing a role as a link between offense and defense. During his 37 games, he also scored two attack points (two goals and two assists).
"Being able to play as a player itself is a huge blessing. In the first year, there were times when I played for 20 minutes, was excluded from the bench, or was completely excluded from the roster due to the U-22 rule. "When I experienced such a situation, I wanted to play as much as I felt I was going through a hard time," he said. "I played full-time in all games last year, and this year, I played almost all games except during the period when I couldn't play due to injury. I'm glad that I played many games well."
In the second round of the promotion and promotion PO on the day, Seo Min-woo defended the midfield firmly and contributed to the victory. In fact, according to "Bipro-Eleven," the official additional data provider of the K-League, he attempted 66 passes and succeeded 56 times while playing 84 minutes before being replaced, recording one tackle, three interceptions, three clearings, two shot blocks, and three blocked opponents' attacks.
"Before the game, the coach and coach said, 'If you think this is the last game to play in a Gangwon uniform, you can be more desperate and play more,'" said Seo Min-woo. "Today was my last game in Gangwon because I couldn't wear a Gangwon uniform for 18 months due to joining the military, so I was more touched by that. I played really hard not to regret it."
In fact, Seo Min-woo, who was listed as one of the 17 finalists for the 2nd Armed Forces Sports Special Expeditionary Force in 2023, will say goodbye to Gangwon, who has been accompanying him for four years. He will continue his career in Gimcheon for 18 months. Due to his limited activities except for work and time, he can only focus on training. As a result, there are many cases where players step up while enhancing their skills and full potential.
A typical example is Cho Kyu-sung (25). Cho noticeably improved physical fitness in Gimcheon, and his overall skills including decision-making, connection play, and post-play have improved. After all, he joined the national team and scored two goals at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar. He also advanced to the European stage last summer, which he dreamed of. Currently, he is playing as the main striker for Meat Whelan.
"When I was accepted as a managing director in June this year, I was just 30 months old from then until I was discharged, so I made detailed plans. I have learned a lot from Shohei Ohtani (29), who recently moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and said, "It's too long to say in detail, but my goal is to improve my physical performance and improve my kicking ability. I will focus on that part the most," he said, expressing his commitment to further develop in Gimcheon. "The coach taught me how to kick for an hour every training session. Now that I have mastered it to some extent, I will definitely master it for 18 months."
In addition, Seo Min-woo also expressed his ambition to grow further and wear the Taegeuk mark in Gimcheon, just like Cho Kyu-sung. "My goal is to grow up and wear the Taegeuk mark while making up for my shortcomings in Gimcheon," he said. "I really want to wear the Taegeuk mark. As a soccer player, wearing the Taegeuk mark is not my last goal, but I think it will start with wearing the Taegeuk mark. As a soccer player, I haven't even started yet," he said. "Whatever position I play in Gimcheon, I will show what I can do well, and if I go one step further, I think the day will definitely come."
Finally, Seo Min-woo said, "I would like to thank the fans for their support this season. I think this year was the hottest while I was playing in Gangwon for four years," adding, "More than 10,000 people came to the home game during the season, but I was very sorry that I couldn't win every time. Fortunately, more than 10,000 people came to the last home game, but I'm happy that I can repay the fans by staying there in the final. Also, as you cheered me on at the end, I will come back healthy." He added, "I hope the coach will stay with me when I come back to Gangwon after serving in the military. I've learned so much from the coach, so I want to come back and learn."
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