As you approach St James’ Park in Newcastle you can’t help but be impressed with the structure in front of you.

A stadium which has witnessed some of the Premier League’s best players over the course of its history, and of course it’s set to host Champions League football this season.

It’s matchday, but there isn’t quite the same buzz you’d come across when a sea of black and white shirts flood towards the ground from all angles. This match day is different.

Posing in front of Newcastle United signs outside the ground, a flag is held high above numerous heads.

A flag which has become one of the hottest topics in football over the past 12 months given its influence in the acquisition of Newcastle United, as well as the state’s relentless recruitment of some of Europe’s best talent into the Saudi Pro League.

Of course, that’s the flag of Saudi Arabia, who are playing their second of two friendly matches at St James’ Park during the September international break. First up was Costa Rica, a 3-1 defeat. Next, Korea Republic. And that’s where the Bees come in.

The international window saw a very first call-up to the Korea Republic national team as B-team defender Ji-soo Kim was named in Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad ahead of two friendly fixtures.

The aim of the camp, to prepare for the Asian Cup in January, as well as future World Cup qualifiers. The side did so on British soil, first of all with a friendly against Wales before they headed to the north east to face the Saudis.

As for Ji-soo, who was a summer acquisition for the B team from Seongnam FC, his first call-up represents a steady start to life with the Bees having been involved with first-team training sessions, as well as friendly fixtures.

“The mood isn’t good at the moment because they haven’t won in five games since [Jürgen] Klinsmann was appointed last March. The fans are quite angry about the situation,” said Sungmo Lee after the Wales draw. Lee is one of South Korea’s most respected sports journalists who painted a picture of how things stand and what sort of camp Ji-soo was entering upon his maiden call-up.

Within the Korean group there is an abundance of talent with players plying their trade at senior level across the globe. To an English football supporter there are perhaps two names that jump out. Of course, Son Heung-min, the newly appointed captain of Tottenham Hotspur who has lit up the Premier League in recent campaigns.

Tottenham Hotspur's Seon Heung-min is one of the leading stars for Korea Republic

Another, who opted for German giants Bayern Munich in the summer, is Kim Min-jae.

For Ji-soo there has been an opportunity to see the standard of competition he’ll be up against if he wishes to force himself into the group on a regular basis, and for Klinsmann and his coaches, the camp offered a perfect chance to take a look at a young player who has shown some real promise in his fledgling career having been a standout performer at the Under-20 World Cup earlier in the summer.

“I watched Ji-soo when he was playing for Seongnam and also when he was playing at the U20 World Cup,” explained Lee.

“The fans and I are very excited about him. There is a star defender called Kim Min-jae so he is number one Korean centre-back right now, but we also have another great defender, Kim Young-gwon who scored the goal against Germany in the 2018 World Cup to knock them out.

“Those two are the best centre-back partnership for South Korea for a long time, but the issue is Kim Young-gwon is 33-years-old so [in the future] Korea needs to find his replacement.

“Maybe Ji-soo is a little bit too young to make the step straightaway, but the Korea fans think that he could be the one in the future. He has great physical attributes as he’s tall and strong, even though he is very young.

“He has similar ability to Kim Min-jae and he has the ability to press from the back. He is not only a great defender, but he can contribute to the build-up play from the back and he can deliver skilful and accurate long passes.

"Overall, he has such a high potential, and we could all feel that when we watched him play. It’s all about how he will make it through at Brentford.”

As you near the ground at St James’ Park there is a tunnel which cuts underneath the stand which is where the coaches park up and the players head into the stadium. There are perhaps 150 people leaning on the barriers, in place to separate supporters from players, with South Korea flags proudly on display.

There is face paint with the Korean flags on cheeks, as well as shirts on show with the supporters desperate to catch a sight of their heroes.

Among the crowd stands Jongha Seo, a student from Manchester who has made the journey from north west to north east to see his country in action. He’s wearing a Manchester United jacket, but when you mention the name Ji-soo Kim his eyes light up and he’s well aware of Brentford’s young prospect.

“He’s a brilliant player who is really promising. He has a bright future and I watched him in the U20 World Cup,” says Jongha.

“He is a very clever player and knows what he has to do and he makes good decisions. The English league is really fast and competitive so he still has time to improve and hopefully within two or three years he can be a regular first-team player.

Supporter Jongha Seo (left) says there is real excitement about Ji-soo in South Korea

“I think Brentford made a really good decision to bring Ji-soo over from Korea. To see him in the Premier League would be amazing. Hopefully other players can follow him.”

Another supporter who is proudly waving the flag of South Korea is Darance Chan. Despite being from Malaysia, Korea Republic is the country close to his heart when it comes to football.

“I’m a student from Malaysia but I came to support Korea tonight because I have a huge love for the country,” he explains.

“It’s my favourite foreign country and I’ve been there quite a few times. I know a lot about South Korean football, and I passionately supported them in the World Cup in Qatar.”

He too is aware of Ji-soo: “He is a really young talent at Brentford who has potential. There are some players in the team who are getting a little older and I think there is going to be a transition phase which we’re in now.

Supporter Darance Chan believes Ji-soo will have learned so much from his time with the senior team

“There are some really good players who are playing overseas, Kim Min-jae has just moved to Bayern Munich after a breakout season at Napoli and I think he can develop further. With Ji-soo it’s about building experiences with senior players like Kim Min-jae and Son Hueng-min.”

As the players head inside, the crowd disperses somewhat to head for the turnstiles. Soon after, the players then emerge from the tunnel and they’re greeted to a loud cheer. Klinsmann’s side head straight over to thank their fans for turning out as the atmosphere builds nicely.

Normally an environment known for its intense atmosphere for any travelling team, tonight is different. It’s family friendly, it’s fun and there is a positivity from both sets of supporters that make up the 3,000-strong crowd. The team news is released and Ji-soo is on the bench as Korea Republic go in search of a much-needed win under Klinsmann.

There can be little doubt that this is a game that the Koreans are eager to win. Whether it’s a friendly or not, wins build confidence and ease pressure and it was Klinsmann’s side who come out on top.

Chances came in the early stages for both sides and Son, though not at his dazzling best, looked to provide impetus and an option on the counter and he regularly displayed his dribbling ability.

The deadlock was broken on 32 minutes through Cho Gue-sung. A bit of a messy goal, which actually stemmed from some nice play from the Koreans but a wicked Saudi deflection following a ball into the box fell kindly for the FC Midtjylland forward to nod home and make it 1-0.

More chances fell for the Koreans and a couple for the Saudis but Klinsmann’s side held on for a much-needed win.

As for Ji-soo, although an unused substitute in both matches during the camp, Klinsmann insisted that he was pleased to welcome him into the group so they can take a look at the young talent.

Speaking exclusively to brentfordfc.com about Ji-soo, the former Germany and Bayern Munich manager says is excited by the Brentford youngster: “We know the kid and he played an outstanding U20 World Cup. He’s a very bright young player coming through the ranks.

Klinsmann says he and his staff were well aware of Ji-soo having impressed in the U20 World Cup in the summer

“He’s in the best hands at Brentford with the way they develop young players. He’s done very well in training. At the beginning he was a bit shy, which I expect, but after two or three days he came out of his shell and it’s been a lot of fun to work with him.”

So, all this talk of our young South Korean talent, but what has he made of the past couple of weeks?

Catching up with a beaming Ji-soo after the camp came to an end in Newcastle, the 18-year-old is shown to one of the interview rooms at St James’ Park and reflects on some brilliant experiences of being around the senior professionals.

“It’s been a great honour to be with this group and I realise there is still a long way to go and there are a lot of improvements that I have to make,” he says. “I hope that I can continue to be part of this team.

“There are some big names in the team like Sonny [Son Hueng-min], and Kim Min-jae who plays with Bayern Munich, so being with those boys and training with them is a huge learning curve. I learned a lot and I hope that I can continue to develop like this.

“The gaffer has given me positive words. He says I can become a much better player and he also advised me to look up to the other boys in training and keep learning and one day perhaps I can be close to really competing with them.

“I’ve missed the fans from back home but it’s been an honour and a joy to see them here [in Newcastle]. We’re so far from back home but it’s been great. I want to get back to playing in stadiums full with fans chanting behind us which comes when you step up to the next level.”

So, although it wasn’t quite the perfect story for Brentford's young B-team defender in terms of making his senior bow at international level, there can be no doubt that there is an excitement about what he can achieve in the coming years.

Through the B-team pathway where he will play matches against all sorts of opponents, as well as regular training with Thomas Frank’s side, there’s no doubt that all at Brentford, and in South Korea, will be pushing him to carry on with his journey.