‘Pyeongchang ice hockey goal’ Jo Min-ho dies at 35 after battling lung cancer

Minho Jo of the national ice hockey team. Courtesy of Anyang Halla

Jo Min-ho (Anyang Halla), who played an active role in the Korean men’s ice hockey striker, passed away on the followingnoon of the 15th at the age of 35 following battling lung cancer.

Minho Jo, who was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly following returning from an expedition to the United States in Anyang Halla in October of last year, has been receiving chemotherapy for 8 months. He recently suffered a sharp deterioration in his condition, and eventually passed away at the Samsung Seoul Hospital.

Born in Seoul in 1987, Jo Min-ho has been expected for his outstanding skills since his days at Gyeonggi High School, and in 2008, when he was a 4th year student at Korea University, he wore the Taegeuk mark for the first time. Afterwards, he played as a key striker for the men’s ice hockey team until the final qualifying for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held in Oslo, Norway in August of last year. In particular, he scored the opening goal in the first round of Group A once morest the Czech Republic at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, where Korean men’s ice hockey first entered the Olympic finals. It was the first Olympic goal in Korean ice hockey history.

Jo Min-ho remains a legend in his team Anyang Halla. He joined the team in 2009 and joined Anyang Halla’s six Asian league ice hockey victories, and from 2018 he took over as captain and led the team. His regular league record is 124 goals and 324 assists in 393 games. Jo Min-ho’s 324 assists is the most in a Korean player’s career (including multiple nationalities).

The funeral was set up in Room 3 (02-3410-3151) of the funeral hall of Samsung Seoul Hospital, and the funeral is at 12:30 on the 17th. Jangji is the arboretum in Seoul Memorial Park.

Kim Ji-seop reporter [e-mail]

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