Jeong Jong-deok, a former South Korean football coach who produced future World Cup heroes, died of a heart attack on Tuesday. He was 73.

Jeong coached Konkuk University in Seoul for 20 years starting in 1980, winning seven trophies in domestic college football tournaments. His star-studded list of former pupils features former Tottenham Hotspur left back Lee Young-pyo and former national team striker Hwang Sun-hong and midfielder Yoo Sang-chul. All three were integral members of the South Korean team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, where the country made a historic run to the semifinals.

Jeong, who later became an honorary coach at the same school, also helped South Korea reach the 1988 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar and led the national team to the silver medal at the 1993 Summer Universiade in Buffalo, New York.

After announcing his retirement from coaching in 2002, Jeong briefly worked as a football commentator and later joined K League Classic club Pohang Steelers as a technical director in 2005. He last coached Chuncheon Mech Tech High School in Gangwon Province in 2012. (Yonhap)