Retired para ice hockey player becomes YouTuber

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Retired para ice hockey player becomes YouTuber

Posted : 2020-01-10 17:08

Updated : 2020-01-10 18:03

Han Min-soo plays para ice hockey at the Tancheon ice rink in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Dec. 14. /Korea Times Photo by Choi Won-suk

By Kim Se-jeong

Han Min-soo, a retired national ice hockey player whose team won the bronze medal at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, has become a YouTuber promoting the sport

"I hope through this I can promote para ice hockey in Korea," Han, 50, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times.

Still, it is in the early stages, with only a couple of posted videos, but he is excited about the new endeavor.

Han retired after the 2018 Winter Olympics. Unlike his initial plan to become a coach for young para ice hockey players, his fate took him to the Korea Paralympic Committee where he is working to assist in the development and promotion of all para sports.

His new job doesn't allow him to spend much time on the ice rink ― twice a month at the maximum with private club players.

"I am trying to help young-generation para ice hockey players when I can," Han said.

He lost his left leg in 2000, aged 30, and now walks on an artificial leg.

At the age of two, Han's parents found him unable to walk well. They took him to a traditional Korean medicine clinic where a negligent practitioner performed a treatment that left Han permanently paralyzed. At the age of 25, he suffered an injury that burst open part of his left leg. He was then diagnosed with osteomyelitis.

"The doctor recommended amputation, but I resisted," Han said. He resisted for five years, to the point where his entire leg was infected.

"It was not an easy decision to cut off the leg," Han said. "Despite having problems, it was my leg and having it was important for my self-esteem. It took a long time to digest the thought of having no leg and sitting in a wheelchair. But in 2000, the doctor told me I could die at any moment due to the infection and I had a newborn baby. I decided to have the surgery."

Luckily, he found peace of mind with the new life and finding para ice hockey was a gift, he said.

Han was an athletic child although he was disabled. With a crutch, he played football with his friends, ran track and even did mountain running. During young adulthood, he also played basketball and did weightlifting.

In late 2000, several months after the surgery, he encountered para ice hockey and jumped right in. With his team members, he trained hard. He spent his spare time on the ice rink and bought equipment out of his own pocket. The team dreamed of competing in international games.

Soon after, Gagnwon Province launched a professional para ice hockey team and he joined, meaning he had no more worries about money and time.

"It was good because I was paid to play the game," Han said. "Before, I had my full-time job, which didn't pay much and I didn't arrive on time. I had moments when I didn't have enough money to buy formula for my baby daughter."

With financial support from Gangwon Province, the team was more motivated and ambitious. It qualified for the 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Games. It also participated in the 2014 Sochi and 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

At PyeongChang, Han had the honor of carrying the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony. "It was an exciting but extremely dangerous moment because we didn't have any rehearsal," he said.

By the time he quit para ice hockey, he was a celebrity thanks to a documentary on his para ice hockey team released before the PyeongChang Olympics. He had interview requests and people were asking him to appear at events as a speaker. He also did a modeling stint during Seoul Fashion Week after retiring.

Han stressed the importance of sports for people but much more so for people with disabilities.

Of 2.5 million people with disabilities in Korea, about half have physical disabilities while 90 percent of them became disabled later in life.

"For those who became disabled later, it's much more difficult to accept disabilities," Han said. "It takes years, if not decades, for the disabled to come out of the darkness and face reality.

"Sports is a very good vehicle for them to come out. It empowers you and plants confidence in you. But all these happen only if you accept your disabilities. Once you accept it, other doors will open for you."

skim@koreatimes.co.kr