Brentford fans and the local Korean community enjoyed an opportunity to hear from Bees player Ji-soo Kim, when he took part in a panel discussion at Gtech Community Stadium.

The event was part of our activity to mark East and South East Asian Heritage Month, which is recognised internationally every September.

The panel was an opportunity to find out more about Ji-soo’s football journey from K League 2 in South Korea to the Premier League, and how he has adapted to the cultural shift having moved to London aged 18.

Brentford fans were in an audience that included members of London’s Korean community who came to see their compatriot after a breakout 12 months for the young star.

This year, Ji-soo earned a call-up to South Korea’s Asian Cup squad and in the summer was promoted from Brentford B to the Bees' first-team squad.

The panel was hosted by Brentford non-executive director Deji Davies, who opened the event saying that this was a brilliant opportunity to celebrate the togetherness and diversity of the club.

Also on the panel was Josh Lee, who is a PhD student working in the club's research and insights team. Josh is also Korean and supports Ji-soo with translation from Korean to English.

Ji-soo said that he is getting used to life in the UK and wants to make stronger connections with London’s Korean community. He added that settling in at Brentford has been made easier thanks to Korean-speaking colleagues like Josh.

On the move to Brentford, he said that he was impressed by Brentford’s style of play and wanted to prove himself in west London, despite interest from many clubs following his performance in the U-20s World Cup in 2023, where South Korea finished fourth.

Ji-Soo commented that in Korea, there is a culture of having respect for elders. He said that there is a similar culture of respect at Brentford, and that he feels comfortable challenging older players and fighting for his place in the team.

His ambition now is to contribute more to the club and his country and grow as a person. When asked what advice he would give to the next generation of players, he said never be afraid to try and there is always opportunity if you work hard.

Outside of football, Ji-soo said that he enjoys karaoke, listens to BTS but couldn’t choose a favourite K-Pop artist, and if he had to cook a traditional Korean meal for everyone, he would make bulgogi, a sweet barbecue beef dish.

After the talk, fans had pictures with Ji-soo and took home traditional Korean confectionary.