#suho kwon

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Suho: That’s it. I’m done with this. I am going to rule over her with an iron fist.

Emma: Suho?

Suho: [sweetly] Yes, pumpkin?

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SUHO KWON CLOSER TO THE GLORY

After winning the European Cup last season, the Heidelberg Harriers' chaser is determined to return even stronger and has his heart set on the World Cup Title.

Suho Kwon has a busy summer ahead. Despite reaching the European League Quidditch final and becoming the new figure of the German League, the Heidelberg Harriers’ chaser is already planning for next season and working along coach Frank Zimmermann to strengthen the Harriets’ squad. But before Suho and his German team get down to serious business, there is the little matter of the World Cup to contend with, and L’Équipe caught up with the French Darling in his recent appointment as BAT Foundation’s Ambassador, the teams to watch at the World Cup, the Korean National Team, and why he isn't ready to play for a French Quidditch club… yet

LE: How are you feeling about playing your first World Cup with the Korean National Team? Suho Kwon: Everyone that likes quidditch is excited about the World Cup, so although I should be feeling pressured about mine and the team’s performance, I’m just enjoying the preparation with the team and looking forward to meeting some Quidditch legends that will be playing and attending the games. I’ve always said that the World Cup is more than just Quidditch. For me, the World Cup and the Olympic Games are, at the social level, the two most incredible events in the world.

LE: You just mentioned you’re looking forward to meeting Quidditch legends. In your opinion, who is the greatest World Cup player? SK: I can’t answer that. It is just too difficult. I was born in 1995, so the 1994 World Cup was too early for me, but I know history and players like Yoshihiro Suzuki and Hildegarde Lafarge were the ones back then. From 1998 I remember all the teams and all the players and there are just too many to choose from. There are just so many and every four years there seems to be a new star. For me, it is impossible to compare players from different generations, but from the last Cup Viktor Krum and Gonçalo Flores were undoubtedly the best.

LE: Was there a World Cup moment that inspired you to make quidditch your career? SK: I would say the moment where the captain of the team lifts the cup. And the two cups that matter most are the European League Cup and the World Cup. When you are a kid, or a young quidditch player and you see a player lift the World Cup, you dream about it and being at that level. I thought about that a lot when we lifted the European League trophy earlier this year.

LE: With so much quidditch on the medias, players transferring to countries across the globe and with club Quidditch having such a high profile, is the World Cup still a “special tournament” for the players? SK: Undoubtedly. I think it’ll always be special because It is special for the fans, it is special for the countries and it takes place in the summer. I always think that when national teams are playing at the World Cup, the whole country stops. It is such an amazing tournament that even people who are not quidditch fans fall in love with the national team and support them.  As a player, it is something you dream of. The build-up, the days before, being on the way to the stadium and seeing the excitement of the fans, your country, knowing that everyone is watching, we’re all excited about that.

LE: On an interview last year you said your parents remember you watching the first Korean National game in the 1998 World Cup when the team lost to England... do you think this time Korea can go any further? SK: Well, it’s always been unfortunate that Korean Quidditch is so underrated. We won the Asian Championship in 2016 and all our teammates play for European clubs so that means we are among the best teams this year. Korea is the kind of country where new talent is always coming through and in the current national team, I think we have even better players than in the squad two years ago. So Korea can do anything. Can we be world champions? I don’t dare say that, but on our day we can beat anyone.

LE: Speaking of that, one of your closest friends and teammate in the Korean National Team, James Park, recently signed a millionaire contract with the British club, Puddlemere United in one of the most expensive transfers of all time. How did the National Team react to that? SK: We were not surprised at all. He loves that league. The United is the perfect club for him. I think the supporters in England won’t be disappointed. They can expect the spectacular from James. He deserves it. He works hard and has the talent to be such an important player.

LE: Might you one day be tempted by the British League? Or do you have any plans to go back home and sign with a French club? There certainly would not be a shortage of suitors if you came on the market. SK: I don’t think I’m ready to answer that question or play in any other league right now. Once I am out of contract with the Harriers I would ask myself those questions.

LE: On the other hand, the BAT Foundation recently announced that you had joined their organization as a Celebrity Ambassador. What made you want to get involved with them? SK: As you might know the BAT Foundation is basically part of our family life. The Delacroix have always been involved with their work and my grandparents always made charitable giving a part of our lives. Earlier this year I was invited to the “A Time for Artist” event and  I was immediately touched by the Foundation’s new programs, particularly the one I’m currently leading, which is called “Healing Art” and is geared towards children suffering from blood malediction.

LE: You are a staunch supporter of people with blood malediction and you’re also involved in another related project. How was your passion for this cause born? SK: My mother, Elise Delacroix, is strongly devoted to raising awareness and research funds for people with this condition so she started a non-profit apparel business and donates all her proceeds to the Blood Disease Department of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She educated me about BM and the devastating impact it has had around the world. What I was drawn to with the BAT Foundation program is that it focuses on kids – a demographic that cannot fight for itself and a lot of times gets overlooked in research funding and outreach.

LE: What inspires you and your philanthropic and humanitarian endeavors? SK: I never thought this is a position I’d be in. As sportspeople, we find ourselves in the public eye and I feel we have a responsibility to use that to help others. If people are willing to follow what we do, I want to make sure I’m leading them somewhere meaningful.

LE: Finally, as a young man who has taken an interest in advocacy and activism, what advice would you give to other members of your generation who are just starting to get involved in social justice movements and charitable causes? SK: My advice to other young people is (a) don’t let being young be a reason to not get involved, and (b) find what touches you, what feels personal and ignites a fire within you and then find ways you can get involved. The thing my family members and I have in common is that we advocate for things that are important to us and feel personal. Passion about your cause is critical.

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