Singer Kim Jeong-min's son, Dani Daichi (17, Sagan Tosu), is still pursuing his dream of becoming a professional player in Japan.

The Sagan Tosu U18 team won 3-1 in the 10th round of the JFA U18 Football League Western Region held on the 21st in Yaokashi, Japan. With their sixth consecutive victory, Sagan Tosu has risen to second place among 12 teams.

Dani Daichi, who plays for Japan's U17 national team as 'Kim Jeong-min's son,' came on as a substitute in the second half and scored a decisive goal. Thanks to Daichi's performance, Sagan Tosu secured victory with a third goal.

Daichi made headlines for playing as a forward for the Japan national team at the AFC U17 Asian Cup held in Saudi Arabia last April. Standing at 184 cm, Daichi is strong in aerial duels and has a powerful shot. Most notably, the fact that he started playing soccer in Korea as singer Kim Jeong-min's son has created a huge sensation.

Daichi recorded 1 goal and 1 assist during the tournament. Although he was a substitute at the beginning of the tournament, his outstanding performance led him to start in the quarterfinal match against Saudi Arabia. He also scored in the match against Australia. Daichi shined again by providing an assist for the equalizing goal against Saudi Arabia in the semifinals.

Daichi, who played under the name Kim Do-yun in the youth team of FC Seoul, moved to Japan and is now playing for the Japanese junior national team. From the perspective of Korean soccer, it is a loss of a valuable young prospect who could become a future national representative.

In an interview with Japanese football media Soccer Digest in 2024, Daichi revealed his reasons for deciding to study abroad in Japan: "I wanted to go to Japan. If I were to transfer, I wanted to play for the strongest team. I wanted a higher level of competition, so I played at Sagan Tosu's J Club Academy in my third year of middle school."

Father Kim Jeong-min also noted, "Dani did not change his nationality to Japanese; he originally has two countries. For my young son, soccer is just soccer. His dream is to advance to Europe," supporting his son's aspirations.

If Japan had reached the semifinals, a match between Korea and Japan could have taken place. Dani, who plays representing his mother's country, did not get the chance to face his father's country, Korea, in the semifinals.

Daichi has the right to choose his own future as a player. However, it is bittersweet for Korean soccer that they could not keep him. Ultimately, the youth development system and infrastructure in Korea failed to capture Daichi's interest.

If Daichi plays in Korea, he will have military service obligations. Considering Daichi's desire to advance to Europe, this is not a favorable environment. Many Korean players face difficulties in overseas advancement due to military service obligations. Japan has the largest number of players advancing to Europe among Asian countries.

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