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South Korea national football team

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Korea Republic
Nickname(s)태극전사 (Taegeuk Warriors)
아시아의 호랑이 (Tigers of Asia)
AssociationKorea Football Association (KFA)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationEAFF (East Asia)
Head coachPaulo Bento
CaptainSon Heung-min
Most capsCha Bum-kun
Hong Myung-bo
(136 each)
Top scorerCha Bum-kun (58)
Home stadiumSeoul World Cup Stadium
FIFA codeKOR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 23 Steady (19 December 2024)[1]
Highest17 (December 1998)
Lowest69 (November 2014 – January 2015)
First international
Non-FIFA international
 South Korea 5–1 Hong Kong 
(Hong Kong; 6 July 1948)[2]
FIFA international
 South Korea 5–3 Mexico 
(London, England; 2 August 1948)
Biggest win
 South Korea 16–0 Nepal   
(Incheon, South Korea; 29 September 2003)
Biggest defeat
 South Korea 0–12 Sweden 
(London, England; 5 August 1948)
World Cup
Appearances10 (first in 1954)
Best resultFourth place (2002)
Asian Cup
Appearances14 (first in 1956)
Best resultChampions (1956, 1960)
East Asian Championship
Appearances8 (first in 2003)
Best resultChampions (2003, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019)
Confederations Cup
Appearances1 (first in 2001)
Best resultGroup stage (2001)
South Korea national football team
Hangul
대한민국 축구 국가대표팀
Hanja
大韓民國 蹴球 國家代表팀
Revised RomanizationDaehan Min'guk Chukgu Gukga Daepyo Tim
McCune–ReischauerTaehan Min'guk Ch'ukku Kukka Taep'yo T'im

The Korea Republic national football team (Template:Lang-ko) known as the South Korea national football team represents South Korea in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Since the 1950s, South Korea has emerged as a major football power in Asia and is historically the most successful Asian football team, having participated in nine consecutive and ten overall FIFA World Cup tournaments, the most for any Asian country. Despite initially going through five World Cup tournaments without winning a match, South Korea became the only Asian team to reach the semi-final stages when they co-hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan, South Korea also recorded five titles and seven-time runners-up in the AFC Asian Cup and the senior Asian Games.[4] The team is commonly nicknamed the "Reds" by both fans and the media due to the color of their primary kit. The national team's supporting group is officially referred to as the Red Devils.[5].South Korea also won EAFF Cups 5 times(2003,2005,2015,2017,2019),South Korea champion Dynasty Cup 1 titles in 1990 and Dynasty Cup is also game of East Asia for the national football team as EAFF Cup like now.

History

Early history

Korea (Joseon) was not introduced to the sport of association football until the late 19th century; it is often said that soccer in Korea dates to 1882, when British sailors from HMS Flying Fish played a game while their vessel was visiting the Incheon Port.[6] Korea became a Japanese colony in 1905 and was annexed into it outright in 1910.

In 1921, the first All Joseon Football Tournament was held, and in 1928, the Joseon Football Association was organized, which created a foundation to disseminate and develop football in Korea.[7] Korean teams participated in competitions with Japanese teams from around 1926; Joseon Football Club became a de facto national team for Koreans, and won the 1935 Emperor's Cup.[6] Koreans also played on the Japanese national team, most notably Kim Yong-sik who played for Japan at the 1936 Summer Olympics.[8]

The Joseon FA was reorganized in 1945 as Japanese occupation ended with the close of World War II.[6][9] Following the establishment of the South Korean state in the late 1940s, a new Korea Football Association (KFA) was founded in 1948 and joined FIFA, the international football governing body. The same year, the South Korean national team made its international debut and won 5–3 against Mexico at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.[6]

The first World Cup team (1954)

In 1954, South Korea first entered the FIFA World Cup qualification, and qualified to participate at the 1954 FIFA World Cup by defeating Japan 7–3 on aggregate with Choi Chung-min's three goals.[10] South Korea became the second Asian team ever to compete at the FIFA World Cup after the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia). South Korea played games against Hungary and Turkey, losing 9–0 and 7–0 respectively. The game scheduled against West Germany was never played because neither were seeded in their group, as per that tournament's rules.[11] It would take thirty-two years before South Korea was able to participate at the World Cup finals again. South Korea succeeded in rally by winning the 1956 AFC Asian Cup.[12]

In 1960, South Korea won the second AFC Asian Cup by defeating South Vietnam, Israel and Republic of China.[13] However, South Korean players received fake medals, which are not made of gold, and returned them to the KFA.[14] The KFA promised them to give real medal, but it wasn't achieved for over 50 years. South Korea didn't won the Asian Cup after the 1960 AFC Asian Cup and the incident was called the "Curse of the fake medal" in South Korea.[15] On 4 January 2019, the KFA had an event to give gold medals to members and bereaved families.[15]

Foundation of Yangzee (1967)

In 1965, the South Korean government had lack confidence about a football match against North Korea and withdrew the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification to avoid them. Kim Yong-sik, the KFA vice-president at that time, had evaluated North Korea as a world class team,[16] and actually they advanced to the quarter-finals at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. In 1967, the South Korean Central Intelligence Agency founded Yangzee FC and collected footballers, famous in South Korea including Lee Hoe-taik, Kim Ho and Kim Jung-nam,[17] to train them intensively.[18] The club also participated in the 1967 Merdeka Tournament and the 1969 Asian Club Championship.[19] At the 1968 Summer Olympics qualification, South Korea was eliminated by goal difference although their points were tied with Japan, the group winners. South Korea also failed to qualify for the 1970 FIFA World Cup, but achieved a good result by winning the 1970 Asian Games.[20]

Golden generation (1986)

In 1986, South Korea won the East Asian tournament of the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification with two wins against Japan in the final round, and was able to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1954. The South Korean squad, joined Cha Bum-kun, one of the greatest forward of the Bundesliga at that time,[21] in the existing team which included Park Chang-sun, Huh Jung-moo, Cho Kwang-rae, Choi Soon-ho, Kim Joo-sung, etc,[17][22] was evaluated as the golden generation in their country before the 1986 FIFA World Cup.[22] South Korea lost 3–1 to the eventual champion Argentina but Park Chang-sun scored the first South Korean goal of the World Cup in the first group match. They drew 1–1 with Bulgaria and faced the defending champion Italy in the crucial last match. They conceded Alessandro Altobelli's opening goal, but Choi Soon-ho scored the equalizer in the outside of the penalty area. However, Altobelli's second goal was followed by Cho Kwang-rae's fatal own goal, and South Korea lost 3–2 in the match although Huh Jung-moo pulled one back. Afterwards, South Korean newscasts and journalists criticized the referee David Socha due to his alleged poor officiating.[23][24] South Korea redeemed failure of World Cup with a gold at the 1986 Asian Games.[25]

Tragedy of Marseille (1998)

In 1997, Cha Bum-kun became the head coach going into the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification. South Korea consecutively won early four qualifiers against Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Japan and United Arab Emirates, and quickly solidified their position as first place of the group. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup, they lost their first match against Mexico 3–1. Ha Seok-ju turned a free kick into the opening goal, but three minutes after scoring, he was sent off after receiving a red card.[26] They then faced the Netherlands, managed by Guus Hiddink, and lost 5–0 in Marseille. Cha Bum-kun was sacked after the loss to the Netherlands although the tournament was ongoing. However, the South Korean goalkeeper Kim Byung-ji struggled in the Netherlands' 17 shots on target,[27] and became the only player who received acclaim,[28] although conceded five goals. The team then managed a 1–1 draw against Belgium.

Hiddink's magic (2002)

On 18 December 2000, the KFA named Dutch coach Guus Hiddink as the manager of the team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted in South Korea.[29] The KFA promised him to ensure long-term training camps and authority about management of coaching staff.[30] At the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, they lost 5–0 against France, the eventual champions, and failed to advance to the semi-finals although defeating Australia and Mexico. South Korean journalists criticized Hiddnk and gave him a nickname "Oh-dae-ppang", meaning five to nothing, when South Korea lost 5–0 again at the friendly match against Czech Republic after the Confederations Cup.[31] At the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, South Korea finished in fourth place with two draws and three losses without a win. However, their results improved at three friendly matches prior to the World Cup against Scotland, England and France.[32][33][34]

Seoul Plaza during the 2002 World Cup

South Korea co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament with Japan. They had never won a game in the World Cup previously but the South Korean team achieved their first ever victory in a World Cup with a 2–0 victory against Poland when the tournament began. Their next game was against the United States and earned a 1–1 draw, with striker Ahn Jung-hwan scoring a late game equalizer. Their last game was against the favored Portuguese side. Portugal earned two red cards in the match, reducing them to nine men and Park Ji-sung scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory, allowing the South Korean team to qualify for the second round for the first time in their history. The team's success led to widespread euphoria from the South Korean public, with many people joining the Red Devils, which gained widespread attention with their passionate support of the team.[35]

South Korea's second round opponents were Italy, who they defeated 2–1. The South Korean team was awarded an early penalty but Ahn Jung-hwan's effort was saved by Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon. Christian Vieri then scored to put Italy ahead but Seol Ki-hyeon scored an equalizer in the 88th minute, allowing the game to go through to extra time. Francesco Totti was controversially sent off for an alleged dive and Ahn redeemed his missed penalty by scoring the winner with a headed golden goal, allowing them to advance to the quarter-final. South Korea faced Spain in the quarter-finals. Spain managed to score twice in this match, but both goals were cancelled by the referees.[36][37] The game then went to the penalty shoot-out where South Korea won 5–3, thus becoming the first Asian team to reach the final four.[38] The South Korean team's run was halted by a 1–0 loss to Germany in the semi-finals. They lost to Turkey 3–2 in the third-place match and finished the tournament in fourth place.

Team captain Hong Myung-bo received the Bronze Ball as the World Cup's third best player, the first Asian footballer to be awarded this. In addition Hong was selected for the team of tournament alongside teammate Yoo Sang-chul, the first and only time Asian footballers have been named. This level of success was unprecedented for a country that had never before won a game in the World Cup. They had gone further than any Asian team and upset several established European teams in the process, leading to an increase in the popularity of football in the country. Hiddink became a national hero in South Korea, becoming the first person to be granted honorary citizenship as well as being given a private villa.

Captain Park era (2008)

South Korea playing against Argentina at the FIFA World Cup, in June 2010.

In 2008, South Korea chose Huh Jung-moo as their manager again and Park Ji-sung as the next captain. Under Huh Jung-moo's management, the South Korean team managed to win the 2008 EAFF Championship, go undefeated for 27 consecutive games in 2009.[39] At the fourth round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, they recorded four wins and four draws without a loss against North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran and United Arab Emirates.

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, they won their first game against Greece 2–0, with goals from Lee Jung-soo and Park Ji-sung. They then faced Argentina and suffered a large loss 4–1, including an own goal by forward Park Chu-young. They then obtained a 2–2 draw in a match against Nigeria, with Lee Jung-Soo scoring in the tournament once more and Park Chu-young redeeming his own goal from the previous game by scoring from a free kick. This allowed them to make it to the second round for the first time on foreign soil. In the knockout stage they met Uruguay, who took an early lead with a goal from Luis Suárez. South Korea equalized in the second half after Lee Chung-yong scored his second goal of the tournament but South Korea conceded another goal by Suárez in the 80th minute. Despite maintaining the majority of the possession in the second half, South Korea was unable to equalize again and were eliminated from the tournament.

Miracle of Kazan (2018)

For the combined qualification matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, South Korea won all seven matches without conceding a goal in the second round but following a series of poor results in the third round of qualifiers, including losses to China and Qatar, the former manager Uli Stielike was sacked and was replaced by under-23 coach Shin Tae-yong for the remainder of the qualifying round.[40] Under Shin Tae-yong, the team managed to qualify as the second-placed team in their group following two goalless draws against Iran and Uzbekistan, sending South Korea to the World Cup for the ninth consecutive time.[41]

South Korea national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

At the 2018 World Cup, they lost their first game against Sweden 1–0 after conceding a penalty kick. They then faced Mexico and lost 2–1 after conceding another penalty kick. However, despite their two consecutive losses, South Korea was not eliminated just yet. To have any chance of advancing, South Korea would have to win their final group stage match against the defending champions Germany by at least two goals and Mexico would have to defeat Sweden in its last group stage game.[42] South Korea for its part did what it had to do to stay in contention and won 2–0 against Germany with goals from Kim Young-gwon and Son Heung-min, causing them to be eliminated in the first round for the first time in 80 years. Germany had 28 shots with 6 on target, but the South Korea's defense, led by keeper Jo Hyeon-woo, did not concede once.[43][44][45] However, Mexico lost to Sweden that same day and thus South Korea ultimately finished third in the group. As a result, South Korea saved Mexico from being eliminated and Mexican fans heavily praised the Koreans and celebrated their victory in front of the South Korean embassy.[46][47][48] The match is also called the "Miracle of Kazan" in South Korea although they dropped out of the tournament.[49]

Team image

Kits and crest

Red is the traditional shirt color of the South Korean national team, who are consequently nicknamed "the Reds", while the fans are called "the Red Devils". The away shirt has varied between white and blue. In 1994, the home shirt shifted from red to white, but in October 1995, red returned as home color, paired with black shorts.

South Korea used to wear the South Korean flag as their shirt badge until 2001, when their tiger crest was unveiled.[50] On 5 February 2020, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced a new, more simplistic logo.[51] The emblem retained the tiger, albeit in a more minimalist design, enclosed in a rectangular frame.[51] Red, blue and white, South Korea's traditional colors, have been maintained in the new logo.[51]

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier Period Notes
Adidas, Asics, Kolon Sports,
Prospecs, Weekend
1977–1985 Adidas was South Korea's first official kit sponsor.[52]
Weekend
1985–1988 Sportswear brand of the Samsung C&T Corporation.[53]
Rapido
1988–1995 Weekend was renamed Rapido in January 1988.[54]
Nike
1996–present [55]

Kit deals

Kit supplier Period Contract
announcement
Contract
duration
Value
Nike
1996–present
1995–12–??
1996–1997 (2 years) Total $3.0 million[56]
($1.5 million per year)
1997–12–16
1998–2002 (5 years) Total $38 million[57][58][59]
($7.6 million per year)
2003–01–09
2003–2007 (5 years) Total $50 million[60]
($10 million per year)
2007–12–23
2008–2011 (4 years) Total $49 million[61]
($12.25 million per year)
2012–01–13
2012–2019 (8 years) Total $120 million[62]
($15 million per year)
2020–01–20
2020–2031 (12 years) Total $204 million[63]
($17 million per year)

Supporters

The official supporter group of the national team, the Red Devils, were founded in 1995. Known for their passionate support, they are commonly referred to as the 12th man.[35] Their most common chant is "대~한민국 (Dae~han Minguk, meaning "Mighty Republic of Korea)" followed by five claps. The FIFA Fan Fest was introduced at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea. .

Rivalries

The traditional rival of South Korea is Japan. The football rivalry is long-seated and is often seen as an extension of an overall rivalry that runs deep between the two nations. Controversies occasionally flare up in matches between the two nations.

South Korea also possesses a strong rivalry with North Korea, though matches are infrequent due to diplomatic and security reasons.

South Korea has had great success against China, with China failing to defeat them in 28 competitive matches before finally winning a game in 2010.

Recently, a rivalry has also developed with Iran.[64] They have played against each other officially since 1958, totalling 31 matches as of June 2019, including nine World Cup qualifiers. These two teams were among the strongest Asian national football teams during the 1960s and 1970s. Although the teams only had one chance to play against each other in the final match of the AFC Asian Cup, in 1972, they have faced each other five consecutive times in the quarter-finals between 1996 and 2011, with each team recording two wins, two losses, and a draw. Iran leads the all-time series with 13 wins, 9 draws and 9 losses.[65]

Competitive record

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place     Fourth place  

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position GP W D L GF GA Squad GP W D L GF GA
Brazil 1950 Did not enter
Switzerland 1954 Group stage 16th 2 0 0 2 0 16 Squad 2 1 1 0 7 3
Sweden 1958 Preliminary competition entry denied[66]
Chile 1962 Did not qualify 4 2 0 2 6 9
England 1966 Did not enter
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify 4 1 2 1 6 5
West Germany 1974 8 3 4 1 10 4
Argentina 1978 12 5 6 1 16 9
Spain 1982 3 2 0 1 7 4
Mexico 1986 Group stage 20th 3 0 1 2 4 7 Squad 8 7 0 1 17 3
Italy 1990 Group stage 22nd 3 0 0 3 1 6 Squad 11 9 2 0 30 1
United States 1994 Group stage 20th 3 0 2 1 4 5 Squad 13 9 3 1 32 5
France 1998 Group stage 30th 3 0 1 2 2 9 Squad 12 9 2 1 28 8
South Korea Japan 2002 Fourth place 4th 7 3 2 2 8 6 Squad Qualified as hosts
Germany 2006 Group stage 17th 3 1 1 1 3 4 Squad 12 7 3 2 18 7
South Africa 2010 Round of 16 15th 4 1 1 2 6 8 Squad 14 7 7 0 22 7
Brazil 2014 Group stage 27th 3 0 1 2 3 6 Squad 14 8 3 3 27 11
Russia 2018 Group stage 19th 3 1 0 2 3 3 Squad 18 12 3 3 38 10
Qatar 2022 To be determined 4 2 2 0 10 0
Total Fourth place 10/18[a] 34 6 9 19 34 70 139 84 38 17 274 86
  1. ^ Statistics since 1948, when South Korea became a member of FIFA.

Olympic Games

Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.
Summer Olympic Games record Qualification record
Year Result Position GP W D L GF GA Squad GP W D L GF GA
United Kingdom 1948 Quarter-finals 8th 2 1 0 1 5 15 Squad Directly qualified
Finland 1952 Did not enter
Australia 1956 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 2 2
Italy 1960 4 2 0 2 4 4
Japan 1964 Group stage 14th 3 0 0 3 1 20 Squad 4 2 1 1 7 4
Mexico 1968 Did not qualify 5 4 1 0 17 5
West Germany 1972 4 3 0 1 16 2
Canada 1976 6 3 2 1 10 5
Soviet Union 1980 6 4 0 2 16 6
United States 1984 11 5 3 3 19 11
South Korea 1988 Group stage 11th 3 0 2 1 1 2 Squad Qualified as hosts
1992–present See South Korea national under-23 football team
Total Quarter-finals 3/11[a] 8 1 2 5 7 37 42 24 7 11 91 39
  1. ^ Statistics since 1948, when South Korea became a member of FIFA.

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position GP W D L GF GA Squad GP W D L GF GA
British Hong Kong 1956 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 9 6 Squad 4 4 0 0 9 1
South Korea 1960 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 9 1 Squad Qualified as hosts
Israel 1964 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 2 4 Squad 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pahlavi Iran 1968 Did not qualify 4 1 1 2 9 4
1972 Runners-up 2nd 5 1 2 2 7 6 Squad 0 0 0 0 0 0
Pahlavi Iran 1976 Did not qualify 4 2 0 2 3 3
Kuwait 1980 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 1 1 12 6 Squad 3 3 0 0 10 1
Singapore 1984 Group stage 9th 4 0 2 2 1 3 Squad 4 3 1 0 13 0
Qatar 1988 Runners-up 2nd 6 5 1 0 11 3 Squad 3 1 1 1 5 3
Japan 1992 Did not qualify 2 1 0 1 7 2
United Arab Emirates 1996 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 1 2 7 11 Squad 3 3 0 0 17 0
Lebanon 2000 Third place 3rd 6 3 1 2 9 6 Squad 3 3 0 0 19 0
China 2004 Quarter-finals 6th 4 2 1 1 9 4 Squad 6 4 0 2 30 4
IndonesiaMalaysiaVietnam 2007 Third place 3rd 6 1 4 1 3 3 Squad 6 3 2 1 15 5
Qatar 2011 Third Place 3rd 6 4 2 0 13 7 Squad Directly qualified
Australia 2015 Runners-up 2nd 6 5 0 1 8 2 Squad Directly qualified
United Arab Emirates 2019 Quarter-finals 5th 5 4 0 1 6 2 Squad 8 8 0 0 27 0
China 2023 To be determined 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2 titles 14/17 67 36 16 15 106 64 50 36 5 9 164 23

Asian Games

Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.
Asian Games record
Year Result Position GP W D L GF GA Squad
India 1951 Did not enter
Philippines 1954 Silver medal 2nd 4 1 2 1 15 12 Squad
Japan 1958 Silver medal 2nd 5 4 0 1 15 6 Squad
Indonesia 1962 Silver medal 2nd 5 4 0 1 9 5 Squad
1966 Round 1 11th 2 0 0 2 0 4 Squad
1970 Gold medal 1st 6 3 2 1 5 3 Squad
Iran 1974 Round 2 8th 5 1 1 3 4 10 Squad
1978 Gold medal 1st 7 6 1 0 15 3 Squad
India 1982 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 4 3 Squad
South Korea 1986 Gold medal 1st 6 4 2 0 14 3 Squad
China 1990 Bronze medal 3rd 6 5 0 1 18 1 Squad
Japan 1994 Fourth place 4th 6 3 0 3 17 7 Squad
1998 Quarter-finals 6th 6 4 0 2 12 6 Squad
2002–present See South Korea national under-23 football team
Total 3 titles 12/13 61 36 8 17 128 63

EAFF Championship

Dynasty Cup record
Year Result Position GP W D L GF GA Squad
China 1990 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 5 1 Squad
China 1992 Runners-up 2nd 4 1 3 0 5 3 Squad
Hong Kong 1995 Runners-up 2nd 4 1 3 0 6 5 Squad
Japan 1998 Third place 3rd 3 2 0 1 4 3 Squad
Total 1 title 4/4 15 7 7 1 20 12
EAFF Championship record
Year Result Position GP W D L GF GA Squad
Japan 2003 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 4 1 Squad
South Korea 2005 Fourth place 4th 3 0 2 1 1 2 Squad
China 2008 Champions 1st 3 1 2 0 5 4 Squad
Japan 2010 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 8 4 Squad
South Korea 2013 Third place 3rd 3 0 2 1 1 2 Squad
China 2015 Champions 1st 3 1 2 0 3 1 Squad
Japan 2017 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 7 3 Squad
South Korea 2019 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 4 0 Squad
Total 5 titles 8/8 24 11 10 3 33 17

Other competitions

Year Competition Result Position GP W D L GF GA Squad
United States 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group stage 9th 2 0 2 0 2 2 Squad
South KoreaJapan 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup Group stage 5th 3 2 0 1 3 6 Squad
United States 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup Fourth place 4th 5 0 2 3 3 7 Squad

Head-to-head records

Results and fixtures

The following matches were played or are scheduled to be played by the national team in the past or in the upcoming twelve months.

  Win   Draw   Loss

22 March 2019 Friendly South Korea  1–0  Bolivia Ulsan, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9
Report Stadium: Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium
Attendance: 41,117
Referee: Khamis Al-Marri (Qatar)
26 March 2019 Friendly South Korea  2–1  Colombia Seoul, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9 Report
Stadium: Seoul World Cup Stadium
Attendance: 64,388
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
7 June 2019 Friendly South Korea  1–0  Australia Busan, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9 Report Stadium: Busan Asiad Main Stadium
Attendance: 52,213
Referee: Minoru Tōjō (Japan)
11 June 2019 Friendly South Korea  1–1  Iran Seoul, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9 Report Stadium: Seoul World Cup Stadium
Attendance: 60,213
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)
5 September 2019 Friendly South Korea  2–2  Georgia Istanbul, Turkey
16:30 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium
Attendance: 750
Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (Turkey)
10 September 2019 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Turkmenistan  0–2  South Korea Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
19:00 UTC+5 Report Stadium: Köpetdag Stadium
Attendance: 26,000
Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates)
MVP: Na Sang-ho (South Korea)
10 October 2019 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers South Korea  8–0  Sri Lanka Hwaseong, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9
Report Stadium: Hwaseong Stadium
Attendance: 23,522
Referee: Hasan Akrami (Iran)
MVP: Kim Shin-wook (South Korea)
15 October 2019 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers North Korea  0–0  South Korea Pyongyang, North Korea
17:30 UTC+9 Report Stadium: Kim Il-sung Stadium
Attendance: 100
Referee: Abdulrahman Al-Jassim (Qatar)
MVP: An Tae-song (North Korea)
14 November 2019 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers Lebanon  0–0  South Korea Beirut, Lebanon
15:00 UTC+2 Report Stadium: Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium
Attendance: 170
Referee: Mohanad Qasim (Iraq)
MVP: Bassel Jradi (Lebanon)
19 November 2019 Friendly Brazil  3–0  South Korea Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
17:30 UTC+4 Report Stadium: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates)
11 December 2019 2019 EAFF E-1 Championship South Korea  2–0  Hong Kong Busan, South Korea
19:30 UTC+9 Report Stadium: Busan Asiad Main Stadium
Attendance: 1,070
Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)
15 December 2019 2019 EAFF E-1 Championship South Korea  1–0  China Busan, South Korea
19:30 UTC+9 Report Stadium: Busan Asiad Main Stadium
Attendance: 7,916
Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)
18 December 2019 2019 EAFF E-1 Championship South Korea  1–0  Japan Busan, South Korea
19:30 UTC+9 Report Stadium: Busan Asiad Main Stadium
Attendance: 29,252
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

Coaching staff

Paulo Bento
Position Name
Head Coach Portugal Paulo Bento
Assistant Manager Portugal Sérgio Costa
Assistant Coach Portugal Filipe Coelho
Assistant Coach Canada Michael Kim
Assistant Coach South Korea Choi Tae-uk
Goalkeeping Coach Portugal Vítor Silvestre
Fitness Coach Portugal Pedro Pereira

Players

Current squad

The following players were called-up for the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, held in December 2019.[67]
Caps and goals updated as of 18 December 2019, after the match against Japan.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Kim Seung-gyu (1990-09-30) 30 September 1990 (age 34) 48 0 Japan Kashiwa Reysol
21 1GK Jo Hyeon-woo (1991-09-25) 25 September 1991 (age 33) 16 0 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
12 1GK Gu Sung-yun (1994-06-27) 27 June 1994 (age 30) 2 0 Japan Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo

19 2DF Kim Young-gwon (captain) (1990-02-27) 27 February 1990 (age 34) 78 3 Japan Gamba Osaka
3 2DF Kim Jin-su (1992-06-13) 13 June 1992 (age 32) 46 1 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
6 2DF Park Joo-ho (1987-01-16) 16 January 1987 (age 37) 40 1 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
4 2DF Kim Min-jae (1996-11-15) 15 November 1996 (age 28) 30 3 China Beijing Guoan
20 2DF Kwon Kyung-won (1992-01-31) 31 January 1992 (age 32) 14 1 South Korea Sangju Sangmu
15 2DF Kim Moon-hwan (1995-08-01) 1 August 1995 (age 29) 11 0 South Korea Busan IPark
2 2DF Kim Tae-hwan (1989-07-24) 24 July 1989 (age 35) 8 0 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
23 2DF Park Ji-soo (1994-06-13) 13 June 1994 (age 30) 3 0 China Guangzhou Evergrande

10 3MF Kim Bo-kyung (1989-10-06) 6 October 1989 (age 35) 38 4 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
8 3MF Ju Se-jong (1990-10-30) 30 October 1990 (age 34) 26 1 South Korea FC Seoul
16 3MF Hwang In-beom (1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 28) 23 3 Canada Vancouver Whitecaps FC
11 3MF Moon Seon-min (1992-06-09) 9 June 1992 (age 32) 14 2 South Korea Sangju Sangmu
17 3MF Na Sang-ho (1996-08-12) 12 August 1996 (age 28) 13 2 Japan FC Tokyo
22 3MF Yun Il-lok (1992-03-07) 7 March 1992 (age 32) 10 1 France Montpellier
5 3MF Son Jun-ho (1992-05-12) 12 May 1992 (age 32) 6 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
7 3MF Kim In-sung (1989-09-09) 9 September 1989 (age 35) 2 0 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
14 3MF Lee Yeong-jae (1994-09-13) 13 September 1994 (age 30) 2 0 South Korea Gangwon FC
13 3MF Han Seung-gyu (1996-09-28) 28 September 1996 (age 28) 0 0 South Korea FC Seoul

18 4FW Lee Jeong-hyeop (1991-06-24) 24 June 1991 (age 33) 24 5 South Korea Busan IPark
9 4FW Kim Seung-dae (1991-04-01) 1 April 1991 (age 33) 6 1 South Korea Gangwon FC

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the South Korea squad within the last twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Lee Yong (1986-12-24) 24 December 1986 (age 37) 45 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
DF Jung Seung-hyun (1994-04-03) 3 April 1994 (age 30) 8 0 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
DF Hong Chul (1990-09-17) 17 September 1990 (age 34) 30 0 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings v.  Lebanon, 14 November 2019 INJ
DF Lee Jae-ik (1999-05-21) 21 May 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Qatar Al-Rayyan v.  North Korea, 15 October 2019 INJ
DF Choi Chul-soon (1987-02-18) 18 February 1987 (age 37) 11 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v.  Colombia, 26 March 2019

MF Son Heung-min (1992-07-08) 8 July 1992 (age 32) 87 26 England Tottenham Hotspur v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF Lee Jae-sung (1992-08-10) 10 August 1992 (age 32) 49 8 Germany Holstein Kiel v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF Jung Woo-young (1989-12-14) 14 December 1989 (age 35) 49 3 Qatar Al-Sadd v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF Nam Tae-hee (1991-07-03) 3 July 1991 (age 33) 46 6 Qatar Al-Sadd v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF Hwang Hee-chan (1996-01-26) 26 January 1996 (age 28) 32 4 Austria Red Bull Salzburg v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF Kwon Chang-hoon (1994-06-30) 30 June 1994 (age 30) 23 5 Germany SC Freiburg v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF Lee Kang-in (2001-02-19) 19 February 2001 (age 23) 3 0 Spain Valencia v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF Paik Seung-ho (1997-03-17) 17 March 1997 (age 27) 3 0 Germany Darmstadt 98 v.  North Korea, 15 October 2019
MF Lee Dong-gyeong (1997-09-20) 20 September 1997 (age 27) 2 0 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai v.  North Korea, 15 October 2019
MF Lee Chung-yong (1988-07-02) 2 July 1988 (age 36) 89 9 Germany VfL Bochum v.  Georgia, 5 September 2019
MF Lee Seung-woo (1998-01-06) 6 January 1998 (age 26) 11 0 Belgium Sint-Truiden v.  Iran, 11 June 2019
MF Lee Jin-hyun (1997-08-26) 26 August 1997 (age 27) 3 0 South Korea Daegu FC v.  Iran, 11 June 2019
MF Kim Jung-min (1999-11-13) 13 November 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Austria Admira Wacker v.  Colombia, 26 March 2019

FW Kim Shin-wook (1988-04-14) 14 April 1988 (age 36) 55 14 China Shanghai Shenhua v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
FW Hwang Ui-jo (1992-08-28) 28 August 1992 (age 32) 32 10 France Bordeaux v.  Brazil, 19 November 2019
FW Ji Dong-won (1991-05-28) 28 May 1991 (age 33) 55 11 Germany Mainz 05 v.  Bolivia, 22 March 2019 INJ

INJ Withdrew from the squad due to an injury

Player records

As of 7 January 2019

Statistics below are from matches which the KFA consider as official.[68]
Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

All-time Best XI

Best Eleven, the South Korea's representative football magazine, selected the "South Korea All-time Best XI" in 2010.[17]
25 South Korean experts (15 K League managers, 5 commentators and 5 journalists) participated in the selection.

The "South Korea All-time Best XI", selected in 2010.

Goalkeeper

Defenders

Midfielders

Forwards

Honours

Worldwide competitions

Fourth place: 2002

Continental competitions

Winners: 1956, 1960
Runners-up: 1972, 1980, 1988, 2015
Third place: 1964, 2000, 2007, 2011
Gold medal: 1970, 1978, 1986
Silver medal: 1954, 1958, 1962
Bronze medal: 1990
Fourth place: 1994
Fourth place: 2002

Regional competitions

Winners: 2003, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019
Runners-up: 2010
Third place: 2013
Fourth place: 2005
Winners: 1990
Runners-up: 1992, 1995
Third place: 1998

Other awards

See also

References

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Preceded by
Inaugural Champion
Asian Champions
1956 (First title)
1960 (Second title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by
1964 Myanmar 
Asian Games Champions
1970 (First title)
Succeeded by
1974 Iran 
Preceded by
1974 Iran 
Asian Games Champions
1978 (Second title)
Succeeded by
1982 Iraq 
Preceded by
1982 Iraq 
Asian Games Champions
1986 (Third title)
Succeeded by
1990 Iran 
Preceded by Afro-Asian Cup Champions
1988 (First title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Inaugural Champion
EAFF Champions
2003 (First title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by EAFF Champions
2008 (Second title)
Succeeded by
Preceded by EAFF Champions
2015 (Third title)
2017 (Fourth title)
2019 (Fifth title)
Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by AFC Men's Team of the Year
2002
Succeeded by
Preceded by AFC Men's Team of the Year
2009
Succeeded by