Mega, "I want to be the link between Indonesia and Korea"
Mega, "I want to be the link between Indonesia and Korea"
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"I hope Director Jeong stays healthy. Mega, cheer up."
"Always be united. I support you."
"JKJ (Director Jeong) Red Sparks, fighting!"
Jeong Kwan-jang's YouTube channel is full of comments from Indonesian fans. The channel is about cheering for Megawatti Puttiwi (26, registered name Mega) and Jeong Kwan-jang. Mega, who came to the Korean V-League during the 2023-24 season, literally created a stir. Indonesian fans visited the stadium and the number of YouTube subscribers increased tenfold (30,000 → 300,000). The number is similar to that of professional baseball teams. He also performed well. Jeong Gwan-jang, who joined Mega last season, advanced to the post season for the first time in seven years by ranking third in the regular season.
Mega, whom we met for the first time in July 2023, said, "Like Shin Tae-yong, the coach of the Korean national soccer team, I want to promote Indonesia in Korea." Mega, who met again after a year and a half, said, "There were people who recognized me before I came to Korea, but now they recognize me even if I go somewhere other than my area." Mega said, "I never thought that I would become this famous (in Indonesia). I was only focused on volleyball, and this is what happened. I'm so happy."
The first Southeast Asian player to achieve a "Korean dream" was Piafong Piion (66, Thailand) who played for Lucky Geumseong (FC Seoul) in the early days of professional soccer. Piafong became a sensation in 1984 by sweeping the top scorer and assistants. Thanks to Piafong, products made by Venus were also sold at department stores in Thailand.
The mega effect is also amazing. Jeong opened his store in Indonesia in 2022 and started his career in earnest. Coincidentally, Mega has been active in Korea since 2023 and has improved the image of its parent company. In April last year, Jeong was invited by Indonesia's Ministry of Youth and Sports to have a friendly match. "It was the first time I had an outside team in Indonesia. I was very excited to introduce Indonesia to Korea," Mega said.
Mega has displayed outstanding performance in this season as well. As of Tuesday, it ranks first in women's attack success rate (46.7 percent), beating Kim Yeon-koung (46.3 percent). It also ranks first in open attack rate (41.0 percent) and back attack success rate (49.7 percent). It also ranks fourth in total score (404 points).
In the draft for foreign players, Chung picked Vanya Bukiric, who played for the Korea Expressway Corporation last season. As Bukiric is an apogit spiker who shares the same position as Mega, he will not be able to coexist. However, as Bukiric transformed himself into an outside hitter who receives sub-receives, he created the strongest double shot in the V-League.
The two often hang out with Lee So-jung, an interpreter who speaks both Indonesian and English outside the court. Mega said, "It was good to hear that Bukirich was coming. We talked often last season, so we were close. As you can see, the chemistry between the two of us is really good. Both of them have the same MBTI as E."
In the second year, she has completely adapted to Korea. During the All-Star break, she went to Busan with Indonesian friends she made in Korea. She has become proficient in Korean and can understand various contents. Mega said, "I can communicate in short words. For example, they say, 'What did you do yesterday, I am from Busan' and 'I am eating beef.' She also says, 'Good' and 'Oh no' a lot of times."
What Mega wants is for Indonesia and Korea to get closer through him, and for Indonesian players to have bigger dreams. He said, "I was really grateful that Coach Ko Hee-jin picked me. I'm grateful that I can make a good connection and set an example. I hope more players will challenge the Korean stage in the Asian quarter and have the same experience as me."
Jeong suffered four consecutive losses early this season, but ended the first half with eight consecutive wins. He is currently ranked third (12-6 with 34 points). However, he is not far behind Heungkuk Life Insurance (15-4 with 44 points) and Hyundai Engineering & Construction (14-5 with 43 points), both of which are ranked second. 메이저놀이터
"I feel so good and grateful to hear that I am a candidate," Mega said. "My goal when I first arrived was to star (win). If I do well, I think I will have a good way to go when other (Asian) players come. If I do my best, I will be able to go one step further."