NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM BEGINS TRAINING

[Anchor Lead]

The South Korean national soccer team has held its first training since arriving in Qatar for the World Cup. The team's head coach, Paulo Bento, is trying to help the players recover after a long flight and adapt to the sweltering local weather.

[Pkg]

About 12 hours after arriving to the host country of the 2022 World Cup, Team Korea held its first local training. All of the players except Hwang Hee-chan, who is experiencing minor hamstring issue, trained in Doha for the first time. The team's defender, Kim Jin-su, who had to skip many training sessions with the national team due to his own hamstring problems, also took part in the Doha training. A long flight, early-morning arrival and afternoon training are physically exhausting for the players. They first warmed up by bicycling and jogging. They then focused on recovering their condition with a simple ball exercise. By the end of the one-hour session, the team significantly regained its vigor. Lee Kang-in, who was dramatically added to the World Cup roster by the head coach, was spotted smiling throughout the training session. The players say they are determined to produce good results by working hard together while waiting for Son Heung-min to join them after he recovers from his surgery.

[Soundbite] Lee Kang-in(National soccer team player) : "I was worried a lot because he's a crucial member of our team. If Son Heung-min can play, we will do our best to prepare and show good results in the upcoming World Cup."

Once Son joins the national team on Wednesday, the players will begin preparing for their first World Cup game as a team.