Soccer star approaches young boy who burst into tears after missing out on autograph
A video of South Korean soccer star Son Heung-min approaching a tearful young fan at an airport to give him an autograph has gone viral online.
Filmed on Wednesday, the video shows Son, who plays for Los Angeles FC, at Incheon Airport preparing to return to the United States after playing for the South Korean national team in an international friendly against Uzbekistan at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the previous day.
As Son makes his way through the departure area, a young boy calls out to him in tears, saying, "I've been waiting since 8 o'clock." Son notices the boy and approaches him, asking for his name before signing the boy's jersey. Still in tears, the child answers and thanks Son for the autograph.
According to the person who shared the video, the boy had traveled from Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, to see Son and waited a long time for his autograph. He had burst into tears after others cut ahead of him, leaving him empty-handed.
The 34-year-old South Korean soccer legend joined LAFC in August 2025 after a decade at Tottenham Hotspur, where he served as captain and led the club to the UEFA Europa League title in his final season.
Son has scored six goals and provided 13 assists in 25 appearances for LAFC in Major League Soccer this season.
Son became Korea's all-time leading scorer in men's international soccer after netting his 59th goal for the national team in the recent friendly against Uzbekistan, surpassing the previous record of 58 goals held by legendary former Korean striker Cha Bum-kun.
cjh@heraldcorp.com