Koo Ji-won Height: How Tall Is Koo Ji-won?

Being born in Korea, Ji-won is conscious of the strained relations between the two countries. No matter how “minor” rugby may be in South Korea, his father’s high profile made it likely that his son’s move would attract criticism. Indeed, he was labeled a traitor in some South Korean media.

But for Ji-won, the criticism is irrelevant—he just wants to play better rugby. That was why his father sent him to New Zealand, and was what drew him to move to Japan, where his father had once played.

When he started to play for Japan, he met many senior players who had taken the same step, leaving their home countries in pursuit of their rugby dreams.

Koo Ji-won Height: How Tall Is Koo Ji-won?

Koo Ji-won is a Korean descent Japanese professional rugby union player who plays as a prop for Japan Rugby League One club Kobelco Kobe Steelers. Born in South Korea, he represents Japan at international level after qualifying on residency grounds. He also changed nationality to Japan after the 2019 World Cup

Japan’s Multicultural Squad Eight of the 31 members of the 2019 team, including captain Leitch Michael, had acquired Japanese citizenship. In fact, the team included members from 7 countries: Japan (15), New Zealand (5), Tonga (5), South Africa (3) and one each from Australia, Samoa, and South Korea. One wonders if there is such a multi-cultural team in rugby, or indeed any sport, worldwide.

Training camps for the team can often last for over two weeks. For overseas tournaments, players train and play rugby, and spend other time together for almost a month. Eating, sleeping, and enjoying time off together are important for team bonding. After joining the squad in November 2017, Ji-won often found himself in such settings, which helped crystallize his move to take Japanese citizenship.

His father was supportive of his decision, due to Ji-won’s conviction that it would provide better opportunities for his rugby.