Seo Min-woo (Gangwon FC),a “planned human being,” continues to set his own goals.
Born in 1998, Seo Min-woo reached his peak as a soccer player. He has continued to be consistent and sincere, and is now playing as a quality midfielder in the K-League.
Gangwon FC under coach Chung Kyung-ho is serving as a commander in the midfield. In the match against FC Anyang held at Anyang Stadium on the 6th, he played a pivotal role in the team’s 3-0 victory by making full use of his experience playing various positions in the past.
Seo Min-woo said, “I’ve seen a central defender when I was coach Choi Yong-soo in 2022. There was no pressure, but I felt embarrassed when the coach told me to change my position. I didn’t show it, but I tried to work hard while communicating,” he said.
“A player must create the team’s results with the coach. “I think the player should follow without dissatisfaction in the process of changing something to win the coach, who has the greatest responsibility,” he said, adding, “I’m going to work hard no matter what position I play in.”
As he is showing the best performance, Seo Min-woo is still greedy for the national flag. Ahead of the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup, he was called by the first national team during the 2026 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) held in Korea in July 2025, and he was also named in two consecutive away games in the U.S. in September that year and two consecutive games in Korea in November.
However, the much-anticipated World Cup dream was not achieved. He must have been frustrated and disappointed that he couldn’t go on the biggest stage. However, rather than frustration, Seo Min-woo once again revised his own plan to promote growth.
Seo Min-woo said, “I revised my goal after not going to the World Cup. He made his entry into Europe the top priority in the summer transfer market, but it didn’t happen. So I set my next goal,” he said. “Recently, coach Roberto Moreno was appointed as the interim head coach of the national team. So I looked for the matches between the Spanish national soccer team, AS Monaco, Granada, and PFC Sochi, which Moreno has led so far. “I watched how the coach used the midfielder’s team and thought that I could be selected if I showed what part of it.”
“In the match against Anyang, Gangwon suddenly played as a center defender with three backs in a difficult situation,” he said. “I saw Moreno use defensive midfielders like three backs when leading Spain. If this part can be highlighted again, I thought positively that I could appeal (to the national team).”
As the goal has become firm again, Seo Min-woo is once again more preoccupied with soccer than ever. “I watch a lot of games. “There is a Japanese coach on the team, so I watch the J-League and pay for paid sites to watch overseas leagues such as the Premier League and La Liga with interest,” he said.
It’s not just looking. Seo Min-woo said, “Seeing a lot of games, I think I play a lot of fast-tempo soccer these days,” adding, “I express that I play a lot of straightforward soccer, but I don’t think I kick forward like I did in the past. There is a saying that “pandemic circulates,” but modern soccer has settled into a form in which the tactics that were popular in the past have developed according to the present. It’s not like you’re just kicking. I’m closely watching when and where to put it. In the meantime, I am receiving a lot of inspiration,” he explained.
Seo Min-woo, who is an athlete but shows as much passion as a leader. I still have a lot of life left as a player, but I’m also planning the next stage of my life.
“In the past, I had a lot of thoughts about a leadership career,” he said. However, there are more things that I want to do now. I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet. I’m thinking about everything,” he replied.
