As Indians, a lot of us are alien to the concept of being alone, given the large population of our country and the fact that we are everywhere, literally. Whichever country you may go to, Indians are likely to be there in some capacity or the other. Thus, it is really difficult to understand the mindset and emotions of someone like Jang Kun Lee, the South Korean raider who plays for Bengal Warriors in Pro Kabaddi League.
Just to give an idea about how difficult it must for someone like Lee, consider the fact that he is a rare South Korean in a tournament as niche as Pro Kabaddi and he does not understand a lot of English. Furthermore, he plays in a group comprising people who have nothing in common with him apart from kabaddi. Sportskeeda caught up with him after his team’s 41-20 thrashing at the hands of home side Dabang Delhi on the first day of the Delhi leg.
With a bandaged eyebrow and a wrapping around his knee, Lee looked astonishingly calm and composed for a player, whose team had just got a thorough thrashing. Though he might seem lean on the tele, Lee has a solid built with strong biceps and calf muscles. He smiled as we tried to speak to him and ask him about his experience in India. However, he managed to communicate enough about Pro Kabaddi, likes, eating habits and a bit of his personal life.
Jang Kun Lee belongs to the city of Busan in South Korea and was born in the year 1992. In not a lot of words but actions, Lee managed to communicate that kabaddi is not highly popular in his part of the world, where people love football and baseball a lot. Lee, himself, loves baseball and football a lot and clearly stated that he liked Cristiano Ronaldo more than Lionel Messi. He also likes former Liverpool players Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.
The South Korean, despite not being able to talk to most people around him, has managed to win over audiences with his maverick-like style of raiding and is quite popular in Kolakta where his team Bengal Warriors are based. Being on 23 years of age, Lee is yet to mature completely as a kabaddi player and tends to be a little extra exuberant on occasions, sometimes to a fault.
However, one thing that you cannot take away from Lee is his raiding prowess, which is better than most raiders in Pro Kabaddi League. Lee, with his fast movement, manages to put his opponents on the backfoot quite easily. He, personally, admires Anup Kumar as a raider and thinks that the U Mumba captain is the best among all those who raid in Pro Kabaddi.
We managed to get something out about his personal life as well and Lee has a girlfriend, who lives in South Korea. He loves Indian food items like Naan, Tandoori Chicken and Dosa. Lee has become a hero for a lot of people who follow Pro Kabaddi and maybe it is his silence that makes even more popular because kabaddi is the only language through which he communicates.
Bengal Warriors’ Pro Kabaddi 2016 Season 4 is over and they would look back at it with utter disappointment but Jang Kun Lee, with his Houdini like heroics, has been a shining light in their campaign. Despite being injured for a significant portion of the season, Jang Kun Lee managed to produce 49 successful raids in Pro Kabaddi 4. Bengal Warriors will be eagerly awaiting the next season and Lee will be hoping to come back home, which is away from his home in South Korea.
