'Eun-chan, I will support your dream': Ulsan HD fulfills the wish of a 2020-born child battling a rare disease

*This content was translated by AI.

A child's dream, while battling a rare disease, has come true.

On the 14th, K League 1 soccer club Ulsan HD announced that it carried out a special invitation program to fulfill the wish of Kim Eun-chan, a boy born in 2020 who is suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, together with the HD Hyundai 1% Sharing Foundation and Make-A-Wish Korea.

This event was realized through the active response of the Ulsan club and its players to requests from the HD Hyundai 1% Sharing Foundation and Make-A-Wish Korea after learning of Eun-chan's earnest wish: "I want to learn soccer one-on-one with professional soccer players and play together on an actual soccer field."

Eun-chan began playing with a ball at age three and is well-versed in information about overseas clubs and players. After completing difficult intensive treatment, he has shown exceptional passion for soccer, recently attending both the 7th½-year-old class and the 8th-year-old class where older brothers gather simultaneously.

On the 10th, when Eun-chan visited Gangdong Soccer Stadium, the training ground of Ulsan, he was not treated as a mere spectator but as an "Ulsan player for the day." All members of the Ulsan squad, including Coach Kim Hyun-seok, took a group photo with Eun-chan before training, invited him to join the warm-up session, and shared stretches together, creating special memories.

During the subsequent soccer clinic, Lee Dong-kyung of Ulsan personally took charge of Eun-chan's condition management and warm-up exercises. Jung Seung-hyun and Lee Kyu-sung also served as one-day coaches, providing detailed instruction on passing, dribbling, and shooting techniques that Eun-chan had been curious about.

Furthermore, it was reported that during the final training session, Lee Dong-kyung scored a goal with a sharp left-footed curling shot after receiving a pass from Eun-chan, drawing gasps of admiration from those present. Immediately after scoring, Lee Dong-kyung made a surprise pledge to Eun-chan: "If you score a goal in the next match, I will perform your favorite celebration." In response, Eun-chan taught him his favorite idol's signature dance to "REDRED" by Curtis, warming up the atmosphere at the training ground.

Then, on the 12th, during the home game held at Ulsan Munsu Soccer Stadium, Eun-chan took center stage. When introduced as part of the player lineup, Kim Eun-chan received a special introduction from the stadium announcer. Before the match, he stepped onto the field to hand over the match ball to the referees and performed a powerful kickoff, earning enthusiastic applause from the spectators. Eun-chan watched the game from the table seats alongside his family, wearing a special uniform marked with Lee Dong-kyung's handwritten message: "Eun-chan, I will support your dream."

Lee Dong-kyung stated, "The pure passion for soccer and bright energy that Eun-chan showed actually became a great motivation for our squad. We all at the club will support Eun-chan as he completes his treatment healthily and grows into an excellent professional player who one day runs across the Big Crown ground."

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*This content was translated by AI.