Maybe over a decade ago, Kabaddi was deemed to be a silly sport of brawling in the dirt, by a majority of the people. Things have changed with the introduction of the Pro Kabaddi League. The show has brought players and people who cherish the sport together from around the world and new fans who support the game wholeheartedly.

Introduction

Jang Kun Lee was born on November 6, 1992 hailing from South Korea where Kabaddi was not a prominent sport. But, 18-year-old Kun Lee was curious about and sought it anyway. He joined a kabaddi club when he was in Dong-eui University in Busan.

Kabaddi Career

Lee, who was adept in martial arts and rowing, stood out from the beginning. Judo helped him harness is agility and rowing helped him build his upper body strength, both features highly required in the mat.  He was selected for the national team of the Republic of Korea, winning bronze in the 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial arts games. His performance in the Asian Indoor and Martial arts games gained the attention of the professional kabaddi world.

International Career

He was a part of the South Korean kabaddi team in the 2014 Asian Games held at Incheon and won bronze in the tournament. After a bad defeat in Guangzhou without even crossing the 20 point mark, they needed the win. He believed that being under an Indian Coach had changed their perspective on the sport and had helped them improve for the tournament. The only let down for Lee, was that only a 
few people knew about their achievement in Korea. Although their family were happy and proud, most of their friends could not comprehend their achievement.

Korean kabaddi Coach Cho Jae-Ho made sure the team was gunning for gold he wouldn't have it any other way. Another reason they needed to attain a gold medal was the exemption from two years of compulsory military service. They gained an astonishing victory over India in the opening game. No-one was more surprised than Jang and Coach Cho Jae-Ho. They had come a long way, and the win certainly raised their spirits. Jang had his fingers crossed, but unfortunately, they lost to Iran in the semi-finals. Iran and India would later face off in the final, India winning the 2016 kabaddi world cup. Albeit their loss, the win over India had created waves in the newspapers across the nation. The South Korean team would again stun India in the preliminary round of the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, cinching a close victory by a one-point lead. Jang and the team fought their way to the finals with Iran but had to settle for Silver.

Jang Kun Lee Pro Kabaddi Career

Jang Kun Lee was brought into the PKL for the Bengal Warriors, racked up 57 points in 11 matches in his first season. He was already off to a pretty decent start in the PKL. His unpredictable Kick was lethal for the defenders, and so was his running hand touch. He admits that unlike in Busan, Kabaddi was much more aggressive here, and he understood one needed more than physical strength to pull through a game.

In the next season he scored 50 points in 12 matches and could not deliver anything exceptional but the Warriors still retained him for his consistent performance. He was the fifth most successful raider in season 3 scoring 79 raid points in 15 games. After obtaining 61 raid points from 11 matches in Season 4, Jang Kun Lee was ready to prepare for the World cup Jang came in strong for the fifth season of the PKL under the same banner scoring 89 raid points from 21 matches. Jang has now become, by far, the best international raider within the PKL. After his team's achievement in the Asian Games, Lee retained by the Warriors for Season 6, became the first player to represent the same franchise for 6 consecutive seasons. He failed to contribute in the sixth season owing to injuries 
and bad form and this left Bengal warriors rethinking about choosing their Jang again for Season 7.

Lee was released onto the auction pool by the Bengal Warriors who deemed him surplus to their requirements and turned their eyes on the Iranian Esmail Nabibaksh as a replacement, the team had high hopes for Season 7. The Patna Pirates was not ready to lose a trusted hand like Lee. They signed his services for Rs. 40 lakhs, for season 7. They realized that he could support Pardeep Narwal well and lead the Pirates to glory.