Former South Korea national soccer team head coach Guus Hiddink / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Guus Hiddink, who led South Korea to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, detailed the unprecedented treatment he received in the South and shared inside details of his trip to North Korea.
In an interview with the British football magazine FourFourTwo on Sunday, Hiddink said the outpouring of support in South Korea sometimes felt overwhelming.
"They called me in Korean the ‘Boss of Bosses’ (a term of ultimate respect)," he said. "I thought, ‘Yes, now it’s really enough.’"
He added that supporters displayed "Hie Dung-gu for president" banners in stadiums, and some people even suggested he should run for president if he became a naturalized citizen. "Hie Dung-gu" is a Korean moniker the public gave him.
