“Chuseok, Hanbok I Love it All”

“At Chuseok, young and old alike get dressed up and come together. It’s quite wonderful to see.”

Croatia-born Jasenko Sabitovic (31) of the K-League soccer team Seongnam Ilhwa passed the Ministry of Justice’s naturalization test in June of this year, becoming the third foreigner in the Korean professional soccer league after Shin Eui-son (FC Seoul) and Lee Seong-nam (Seongnam) to become a Korean citizen. His Korean name is Lee Sa-bik; he took the surname Lee as a sign of gratitude for his agent, Lee Young-joong of IvanSports.

This Chuseok will be his first as a Korean citizen. We met with Sabitovic at his home in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si on September 23, where he greeted us in full hanbok attire in celebration of the holiday.

“There’s a similar holiday in Croatia. It’s called ‘Svi Sveti’ (November 1), and just like they do in Korea, people get together with their families, cook festive foods, and even pay visits to their ancestors’ resting places. But I like Chuseok better. I’m not sure why though…”

Sabitovic lives with his wife Sanja (27) in the new home that Seongnam Ilhwa provided for them. Now in his seventh year in Korea, Sabitovic introduced his spouse in fluent Korean.

“We’d dated since I was in Croatia. She moved with me to Korea five years ago, and we went back to Croatia last January for our wedding. Why did it take so long to get around to it? I was too busy. I’m a professional soccer player, so soccer tends to come first.”

Sanja is a black-haired, black-eyed beauty. Back in Croatia, she was a top hair stylist. Her husband’s current spiky, struck-by-lightning look is her own design. She’s a full-time homemaker now, and she has learned to make Korean food, often preparing bean paste soup and kimchi soup for their table.

Sabitovic’s father Samid (60) and Dubravka (53) stayed with the newlyweds for three months and returned to their home country last week. They actively supported their son’s decision to become a Korean citizen. His father also likes Korea, and this was his tenth visit to date.

This Chuseok holiday, Sanja’s parents will be making their first trip to Korea. “The old palaces, the Seoul Tower on Namsan, the COEX, the Olympic Park, the Korean Folk Village… There are so many things I want to show them,” she said. Her husband added, “They simply have to try kalbi!”

“As a soccer player, I worked hard in Korea for the past seven years. But I’ve received so much in return. With the money I earned, I was able to buy new houses for my parents and for my brother.”

Sabitovic plans to continue his career as a professional player for the next four or five years, then switch to being a sports agent or a coach. He played for a year in the German pro league and is fluent in both German and English, but he wants to learn Japanese as well. He wanted to play for the Korean national team, but was prevented because of his history as a former national player for Croatia.

“I love Korea, and I love the people here. Do come again to visit—my wife will make something delicious for us.”

After the interview, Sabitovic presented us with a soccer ball signed by Seongnam players and a cell phone strap with a decoration in the shape of the team’s uniform. As we left the house, over his shoulder, we could see a landscape of Korea hanging on his living room wall. It seems an apt testament to the extraordinary love Sabitovic—or rather, Lee Sa-bik—has for his new country.

Sung-Kyu Kim kimsk@donga.com