Pyongyang, January 28 (KCNA) — Ho Juk San of the DPRK was known as a “machine leg” among the local people for his skilled football techniques.
Born in an alien land in Juche 13 (1924), he played football with straw balls in his childhood. He rose to fame as a footballer after Korea’s liberation from Japan’s colonial rule.
In February 1949, he joined the football team of the Ministry of National Defence as a forward.
In a game against a military football team of the former Soviet Union, Ho Juk San scored a goal with 180 degrees pivoting kick, evoking stormy cheers from audience. After the game, the coach of the Soviet team confessed that Ho’s kick movement was hard to follow even for European football aces.
Ho also fully displayed his special techniques in football games at the 2nd World Festival of Youth and Students in August 1949 and other games, being deeply admired as a top scorer.
As the Korean War (1950-1953) broke out, he volunteered for military service and served as an officer of the Korean People’s Army before falling in a battle in September 1950.
One day, more than 40 years after his death, leader Kim Jong Il recalled Ho Juk San, saying he was a football ace called a “machine leg”.