 |
| Son Woong-jung center, plays football at Son Football Academy in Chuncheon City, Gangwon Province on July 11. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
CHUNCHEON ― Son Woong-jung, the father of English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur striker Son Heung-min, encouraged aspiring football players to live the life they want, rather than one they feel they're simply supposed to live.
He raised the question, "What is happiness?" in order to share his own definition of a happier, more fulfilling life, during an exclusive interview with The Korea Times on July 11. "To me, happiness is a state you can reach only when you live your life, not someone else's. Don't live the life that you're supposed to, but rather, live the one that you're really passionate about."
Son, 60, the founder and coach of Son Football Academy in the eastern city of Chuncheon, said that the same rule holds true for aspiring football athletes.
![[EXCLUSIVE] With tough love, Son Heung-min's father nurtures teen footballers](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/9efcf7e077c24fcb8da7073c9f3f4899.jpg/dims/resize/84/optimize)
"Whether you are good at football or not is a secondary issue. The question that you need to ask yourself first is whether you are happy about your choice to play football," he said.
Son said he's a happy person because he lives a life that continues to excite him.
He spoke about being enthusiastic about football and continually living a life related to the sport: "I was not a great player. But all my life I have been involved in football. I live the life that I want and this is why I think I am a person who lives a happy, successful life."
![[INTERVIEW] 'Growth slowdown can accelerate depletion of retirement pension fund'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/1b8c230b7aa14896bf5b639acd01a9ee.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Veteran US photographer gives environment 'visual voice' to chronicle climate change](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/9d491d25431d4e9b980fee78427589dc.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
