Soccer star Oh Hyun-kyu recently sat down with popular travel vlogger and television (TV) personality KwakTube to discuss his experiences playing in Turkey’s top-flight league.
On Wednesday, KwakTube’s YouTube channel released a video titled “A National Team Player’s Turkish League Challenge – Turkey (Part 2).” The footage follows KwakTube as he spends a day with Oh Hyun-kyu, who currently plays for Beşiktaş JK in Istanbul.
During their chat, Oh offered a glimpse into his daily routine, saying that his life here is pretty straightforward. He trains, naps, pursues hobbies, cook a bit, and then it’s back to bed. When KwakTube mentioned his expectations of a glamorous lifestyle – he imagined Oh would be cruising in flashy sports cars and partying with other soccer stars – Oh laughed it off, explaining that he doesn’t have many friends here, and Korea’s quite far away.
Oh elaborated that most players here stick with their families. The single life is rare, and those who are single tend to be European players. When he invite his friends from home, they always say it’s too far. KwakTube nodded in agreement, acknowledging the distance.
Reflecting on his situation, Oh shared that sometimes he wonders if he’d feel less isolated playing in Korea. But then he reminds himself how fortunate he is. Playing in Europe is a dream come true for many. Whenever he starts feeling homesick, he has to snap out of it and tell himself, Hey Hyun-kyu, stop being ungrateful! It helps him refocus.
Impressed by Oh’s maturity, KwakTube exclaimed that he can’t believe someone born in 2001 thinks like this! At that age, Kwak was still job hunting.
Oh concluded with determination that a soccer career is short – maybe 10 years if you’re lucky. He doesn’t know how long he’ll play, but whether it’s for 90 minutes or just one, he’s committed to giving it his all and showing the best on the field.