Hong Jung-ho, who left Jeonbuk, said, "I was very hurt, upset and sad at the team meeting... I didn't have a choice to renew my contract

*This content was translated by AI.

Hong Jung-ho (36), who was virtually confirmed to transfer to Suwon Samsung after eight years of companionship with Jeonbuk Hyundai in the K League 1, appealed to Jeonbuk fans, saying, "It is not a betrayal, but an inevitable painful decision made by a player after enduring and contemplating."

In a farewell speech to Jeonbuk fans on his social media (SNS) on the 31st of last month, Hong Jung-ho said, "I've never taken this team lightly in my eight years playing for Jeonbuk," adding, "I've been captain, won, won an individual award, but what was more proud than that was my time as a Jeonbuk player itself."

Hong Jung-ho then said, "So I understand that the fact that I'm going to another team can feel like a betrayal to the fans. "The thought breaks my heart the most," he said, "but I want to take the courage to tell you honestly because I don't think the story in my heart has ever been told properly."

"After the technical director (currently Michael Kim) changed, I was turned away for a lot of time at the beginning of the season without knowing the exact reason," Hong Jung-ho said. "When I couldn't play because I wasn't registered as an ACL (Asian Football Confederation Champions League) player, I only heard that the registration was omitted due to an employee's mistake."

"I honestly didn't understand and was so upset that I couldn't play because I was just mistakenly removed from the list without justifiable reasons and explanations in a precious situation," he said. "At some point, I was even told to recommend a transfer." "I think any player who's been playing for this team for eight years will know how much that word collapsed," he said.

Hong Jung-ho said, "But I didn't give up. I didn't want to leave Jeonbuk, and I wanted to prove my value in the stadium, not in words, he said. "And when the opportunity came, I believe I didn't miss it. He played as the mainstay of the team, made a double (K League 1, Korea Cup), and left personal achievements. At that moment, I wanted to believe, 'I'm still a necessary player for this team,' he wrote.

However, after the season, Hong Jung-ho confessed that he was hurt by the club once again during the "recontract negotiation process."

Hong Jung-ho said, "As the season was coming to an end, I was contacted by several teams, but Jeonbuk came first. "I only waited for Jeonbuk because the only option in my mind was Jeonbuk," he said. "But when other players talked about the future with the club, I had to wait recklessly without any explanation or contact. The wait got longer and longer, and every day was really hard for me," he wrote.

"After a long wait, there was no specific discussion about renewing the contract at the meeting (with the club)," he said. "It was full of questions that vaguely surrounded the answers that had already been decided." I didn't have the option (to re-sign), and the answer was already set. It was a moment when I could guess the reason why there was no contact with me for a long time," he claimed.

Hong Jung-ho said, "I was very hurt with the thought, 'I'm not already an option in this team.' What I wanted for this eight-year-old team was neither an annual salary nor a contract period. I wanted to do my best within the role I could play, he said. "But with an invisible line already drawn, I couldn't do anything. I felt with my whole body that negotiations were no longer meaningful. "I thought of the team first for eight years and I did my best, so I was so upset and sad about those words," he explained.

"Nevertheless, I asked myself several times and asked myself why I would stay until the end," he said. I really wanted to make a wish to finish my soccer life on the team I love. But it was already deeply hurt. As a player, as a person, I could no longer feel respected," he added.

Hong Jung-ho said, "Even if this choice was not understood by all fans, I didn't want to make my eight years in Jeonbuk false. "My heart for the fans, my sweat and tears, and my responsibility were real, and my heart still hasn't changed," he said. "I may not have been perfect and I may have made insufficient judgments in the process. I will humbly accept the criticism from the fans on that point. I hope you will see this choice not as a betrayal, but as an inevitable painful decision made by a player after enduring and contemplating."

At the same time, Hong Jung-ho said, "Jeonbuk Hyundai is a team I will never forget in my life," adding, "For eight years, I have been a happy player thanks to you guys. It was very warm and reassuring because of the enthusiastic support and love. I'm so sorry that I couldn't walk with you to the end, after a long time together. I will not forget the time I received from Jeonbuk and the fans, which was the whole of my soccer life, and I will keep it for a long time in my heart," he added.

Hong Jung-ho joined Jeonbuk in 2018 after living abroad and played in 206 K-League games in eight seasons. He also led the team from 2021 to 2023, and was selected as the best 11 players in the K League 1 four times (2019, 2020, 2021, 2025) only as a member of Jeonbuk, including the best player (MVP) in the K League 1.

However, the Jeonbuk club officially announced its separation from Hong Jeong-ho on the 31st of last month due to the expiration of the contract. Earlier in the day, there was news that Hong Jung-ho would leave Jeonbuk and move to Suwon Samsung in the K League 2, where Lee Jung-hyo was newly appointed, and Lee reportedly called Hong Jung-ho to say he wanted to "do it together" when he heard that he was leaving Jeonbuk and looking for a new team.

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*This content was translated by AI.