GIM Dong Hyeon

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (pub.chosun.com, 19 May 2014)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (pub.chosun.com, 19 May 2014)

Impairment Details
His right leg was amputated above the knee after he was involved in a traffic accident at age six in 1994. (jejusori.net, 30 Apr 2018; pub.chosun.com, 19 May 2014; jejusori.net, 30 Apr 2018)

General
PLAYING IN ITALY
When he received an offer to play for Italian club Santo Stefano Sport after the 2010 World Championship in Birmingham, England, he refused it, because he was not ready to live alone in a foreign county. However, in 2012 he decided to move to Rome to play for the club after the Korean team did not qualify for the 2012 Paralympic Games. In 2015 he signed a contract with ASD Handicap Sport Varese, before he returned to the Korean Wheelchair Basketball League later that year. In 2018 he had another stint in Italy, this time playing for Polisportiva Amicacci Giulianova. "I took a lot of responsibility for [not qualifying for the 2012 Paralympic Games] as I missed two crucial free throws in the last quarter [at the 2011 Asia-Oceania Championships]. In the end, it pushed me to take on challenges in Italy, because I wanted to come back stronger for my team." (Facebook profile, 28 Jan 2020; pub.chosun.com, 19 May 2014; ablenews.co.kr, 25 Mar 2015; jejusori.net, 30 Apr 2018; hosted.wh.geniussports.com, 2018; welfarenews.net, 22 Feb 2016; hani.co.kr, 22 Dec 2017; paralympic.org, 10 Jan 2021)