Inside the Gwangju News: Sports Enthusiast and Writer – Zhang Jiuzhou (Julius)

GN: Happy to hear of your first impression of our magazine! Will you give us some background information about yourself before coming to Korea?

Julius: I’m from Harbin in northeastern China, a city famous for its ice and snow culture. I lived there until I completed my undergraduate degree.

GN: You’re currently a graduate student at Chonnam National University. What made you decide on studying in Korea rather than is some other country?

Julius: I had always planned to study abroad. My university in China had exchange partnerships with schools in several countries, including Korea, Japan, Russia, and Belarus. Korea is geographically close to my hometown, and culturally it shares similarities with China. When choosing which university in Korea to attend, my Korean teacher recommended Gwangju, saying that there were fewer Chinese students here, making it a great environment for learning Korean.

GN: For the Gwangju News, you pen the Area Sports Round-Up column, which covers the Tigers, Gwangju FC, and the Peppers, and you write a second monthly sports article that features a sports personage or event. How did you get so involved with sports?

Julius: I love sports – both participating in them and watching them. On my first weekend in Gwangju, I joined Gwangju Inter FC, a foreigner- based football club supported by the GIC. And personally, I believe that if you want to feel a sense of belonging in a new city, the stadium is the best place. That’s where everyone cheers for the same team and chants the same slogans. Every city and every club has its own unique culture.

GN: How do you obtain all the detailed information that we find throughout you sports articles in our magazine?

Julius: Our access is still limited – we only see games from the stands. So, I usually rely on reading a wide range of reports on each team, combined with my own observations at the stadium. Whenever possible, I hope to have more direct contact with players and teams. Once, I privately contacted former AI Peppers foreign player Taylor Fricano through SNS and conducted an interview – that allowed readers to understand a player more directly. Of course, players don’t always have time to check their DMs. If we could contact players through official channels, that would make things much easier.

GN: What do you do when you’re not studying or writing articles for the Gwangju News?

Julius: I’m currently writing the conclusion of my thesis, so between following Gwangju’s sports teams and my academic work, I’ve been quite busy.

GN: A sports prediction: Do you think the Kia Tigers have a chance of making it to the finals next season?

Julius: It’s difficult to predict. Nobody expected the Kia Tigers to win the championship last year, and this year they had a chance to go even further. They even climbed to second place in the summer but then dropped all the way to eighth. That shows how important consistency is. Winter transfer activity will also be crucial. If their foreign-player signings fit well, and the team stays healthy, we can still expect strong results from the Tigers next season.

GN: What are your plans for after obtaining your degree at Chonnam National University?

Julius: I plan to stay in Korea. After earning my degree, I’ll try looking for a job here. And if I don’t find one that suits me right away, I may continue my studies and pursue a PhD.

GN: What are the items at the top of your bucket list?

Julius: I don’t really have any grand wishes. I know my own limitations. Opportunities often appear unexpectedly, and we can’t predict what tomorrow will bring. So, I prefer to focus on the work in front of me and try to complete what I’m doing now as well as possible.

GN: To conclude our interview, do you have any final words that you would like to share?

Julius: I hope more writers will join Gwangju News and enjoy expressing themselves freely here. It would help strengthen the magazine. And I also hope more people can assist Dr. Shaffer with editing, so he doesn’t have to stay up late working so often.