After more than two decades, the Korean national football team’s “Paju era” has come to an end, ushering in the dawn of the “Cheonan era.” On November 10, the Korean men’s national football team held its first training session at the newly built Korea National Football Center (NFC) in Ipjang-myeon, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. Manager Hong Myung-bo assembled 11 players, including Son Heung-min of Los Angeles FC (LAFC), to begin preparations for upcoming friendlies against Bolivia in Daejeon on November 14 and Ghana in Seoul on the 18th. This marks the first time the national team has ever trained in Cheonan.

“I think the players will be able to rest more comfortably and train with greater focus,” Hong said. “It feels similar to when I first entered the NFC in Paju as a player, it’s a tremendous honor. As this will be the place where the future culture of Korean football is shaped, I’ll approach our first training here with a great sense of responsibility.”