(Asiad) Japan-born basketball player for S. Korea ready to show growth before family, friends

NAGOYA, Japan - For the 21-year-old South Korean women's basketball forward Hong Yu-sun, this year's Asian Games hold a special significance. Born to South Korean parents in Osaka, she spent her formative years there before moving to Japan at the age of 16. It was there that she played college basketball and was drafted by the Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL), going first overall in the 2024-25 season.

Hong's skills paid off as she won the Rookie of the Year award and became the first rookie in WKBL history to record four consecutive double-doubles. Now, she stands on the national team and wears the South Korean flag at her first Asian Games. Speaking after South Korea's dominant 106-40 victory over Malaysia in their first Group C game at the Aichi International Arena, Hong expressed her excitement about representing her country.

"When I play in Korea, many of my friends and family can't come to see me," she said. "But now that I am in Japan, a lot of people have already told me they will come and cheer me on."

Hong's goal is to showcase her growth since high school. "I want to be able to show them how much I have grown since high school," she added. While she is unsure how many minutes she will play in the tournament, Hong is committed to giving her best whenever she steps onto the court. Her mother could not attend Friday's game, but will be present for South Korea's second match against Mongolia on Monday, along with about a dozen relatives.

Hong is grateful for the support she has received from friends, who have all offered to attend her games and congratulate her. The Japanese team, favored to make the quarterfinals out of Group B, features players that Hong has admired for a long time. Some of them are around her age, making the prospect of playing them in the knockout stage all the more thrilling.

Hong expressed her excitement and hopes to improve against Japan, acknowledging that her move to Korea allowed her to become a better player and make the national team.