Yoo Sangchul, Battling Pancreatic Cancer, to Appear on "Let's Play Soccer Together"... Reunion with 2002 World Cup Teammates

Yoo Sangchul Honorary Coach of Incheon United FC / Photo by Incheon United

[Asia Economy, intern reporter Lim Juhyung] Yoo Sangchul, Honorary Coach of Incheon United FC, who has been battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer, is scheduled to appear on JTBC's "Let's Play Soccer Together."

On May 21, the production team of "Let's Play Soccer Together" announced that Honorary Coach Yoo will appear on the broadcast scheduled for May 31. The production team explained, "This appearance is to help fulfill Coach Yoo's wish to stand on the field again in good health," adding, "We coordinated the schedule for a long time, checking both his chemotherapy schedule and health condition."

During this broadcast, Honorary Coach Yoo is expected to reunite with fellow former national team members who played key roles in the 2002 World Cup, including Lee Woonjae, Song Joongguk, and Lee Chunsoo.

Regarding this, Executive Producer Sung Chikyung, who planned "Let's Play Soccer Together," said in an interview with News1 on the same day, "Although Coach Yoo's health is not in the best condition, he expressed his strong desire to participate in this special episode," and added, "Bringing together the warriors of 2002 in one place is a special event in itself."

Honorary Coach Yoo was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in November of last year. Despite undergoing treatment, he led Incheon United, where he was then head coach, to remain in the K League 1. In January of this year, he stepped down from his coaching role to focus on chemotherapy. It has been reported that over the past six months, Honorary Coach Yoo has completed ten rounds of chemotherapy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.