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Football club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors owner and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun, right, and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors player Lee Dong-gook, pose for a photo an event celebrating the football club's victory and the retirement of Lee at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Nov. 1 2020. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

By Lee Kyung-min

Six football players will be given a combined 240 million won ($186,840) in bonuses for helping Korea advance to the round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA World Cup, as approved by Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisun, the firm said Wednesday.

The award of 40 million won was given each to six players of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, a professional football club based in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. It competes in the K League 1, the top tier of local football federation. They make up 23 percent of the 26 players on the national team.

The cash award was given as a token of appreciation for the efforts and hard work of Jeonbuk Hyundai players whose contributions shined in elevating the country's standing on the global stage.

"Korea advancing to round of 16 this year was a feat that came despite a slew of challenges, including injuries of players among other unfavorable conditions," the firm said.

Hyundai Motor vehicles provided to the Korea Football Association and the country's national team players for training. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor Group

Their years of efforts are best remembered and encapsulated by the moment when they raised the Korean national flag with the words, "Important is having an undaunted spirit," it added.

The achievement was driven in part by the automobile giant's 24 years of efforts as a FIFA World Cup sponsor, a point of passion and pride for Chung.

Hyundai became an official sponsor of the Korea Football Association in 1999 and has since provided continued assistance to the national football team,

Included are financial contributions to fortify the local players' competitiveness on the global stage. National team players were given Hyundai vehicles to help players move in between training sessions.

Chung said he will build a clubhouse to enhance the training environment for Jeonbuk Hyundai players when the football club won the 2009 K-League, a promise followed through by an investment of about 34 billion won that led to an opening of the modern facility in December of 2013.

Hyundai is running a campaign to promote the sport to reach a wider fan base. Illustrative of the efforts are generating online contents, mostly vlog feeds featuring players when they are training and meeting fans. Also popular are interviews and behind-the-scenes footages.

The online promotions are gaining traction, especially with young MZ generations, born between 1981 and 2005. The demographic is known for active participation in expressing their opinions and support for players as mediated by active instant online communications with players and sports event organizers. The online contents have registered a combined 1.21 million views.