South Korea national football team

Korea Republic
Nickname(s) 태극전사 (Taegeuk Jeonsa, "Taegeuk Warriors")
Association Korea Football Association (KFA)
Confederation AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation EAFF (East Asia)
Head coach Paulo Bento
Captain Son Heung-min
Most caps Hong Myung-Bo (136)
Cha Bum-kun (136)
Top scorer Cha Bum-kun (58)
Home stadium Seoul World Cup Stadium
FIFA code KOR
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 55 Increase 2 (20 September 2018)
Highest 17 (December 1998)
Lowest 69 (November 2014 – January 2015)
Elo ranking
Current 26 Decrease 1 (9 July 2018)
Highest 15 (September 1980, June 2002)
Lowest 82
First international

Non-FIFA international
 South Korea 5–1 Hong Kong 
(Hong Kong; 6 July 1948)[1]

FIFA international
 South Korea 5–3 Mexico 
(London, United Kingdom; 2 August 1948)
Biggest win
 South Korea 16–0 Nepal   
(Incheon, South Korea; 29 September 2003)
Biggest defeat
 South Korea 0–12 Sweden 
(London, United Kingdom; 5 August 1948)
World Cup
Appearances 10 (first in 1954)
Best result Fourth Place (2002)
Asian Cup
Appearances 13 (first in 1956)
Best result Champions (1956, 1960)
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Appearances 2 (first in 2000)
Best result Fourth Place (2002)
Confederations Cup
Appearances 1 (first in 2001)
Best result Group Stage (2001)
South Korea national football team
Hangul 대한민국 축구 국가대표팀
Hanja 大韓民國 蹴球 國家代表팀
Revised Romanization Daehan Min'guk Chukgu Gukga Daepyo Tim
McCune–Reischauer Taehan Min'guk Ch'ukku Kukka Taep'yo T'im

The Korea Republic national football team (Hangul: 대한민국 축구 국가대표팀; Hanja: 大韓民國蹴球國家代表팀) represents South Korea in international association football and is organised by the Korea Football Association.

Since the 1960s, 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 first and currently only Asian team to reach the semi-final stages when they co-hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan. They have since improved their ability to play on foreign soil and were able to reach the Round of 16 in the 2010 World Cup. South Korea won the first two AFC Asian Cup tournaments though they have been unable to win since, finishing second in 1972, 1980, 1988, and 2015, and third in 1964, 2000, 2007, and 2011. They also took the gold medal at the 1970, 1978, and 1986 Asian Games. They have qualified for every FIFA World Cup since 1986.[2]

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.[3]

History

Early years

Korea was not introduced to football until the late 1800s; 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.[4]

Korea became a Japanese colony in 1905 and was annexed by force in 1910. In 1921, the first All Korea Football Tournament was held, and in 1928, the Joseon Football Association (JFA) was organized, which created a foundation to disseminate and develop football in Korea.[5] 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 Japanese national championship.[4] Koreans also played on the Japanese national team, most notably Kim Yong-sik who played for Japan at the 1936 Summer Olympics; Japan's last prewar national team in 1940 had two Korean players, Kim Yong-sik and Kim Sung-gan.

The JFA was reorganized in 1945 as Japanese colonial rule ended with the close of World War II.[4][6] 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 at the Olympic Games in London.[4] The KFA joined the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) in 1954.

1954–1989

South Korea first entered the World Cup in 1954 as the second Asian team ever to compete in the 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). It would take thirty-two years before South Korea was able to participate in the World Cup finals again.

South Korea would later participate in the first Asian Cup in 1956. They drew with Hong Kong but defeated Israel and South Vietnam to take first place. They hosted and won the second Asian Cup in 1960, winning all of their games. However, they failed to repeat this success and lost all their games in the 1964 Asian Cup and failed to qualify in 1968. They recovered in 1972 and took second place. They once again failed to qualify in 1976 but reached second place again in 1980.

In 1986, South Korea was able to qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup, held in Mexico, for the first time since 1954. They, however, failed to win a game despite the presence of Cha Bum-kun, at the time one of the best Asian players, losing 3–1 to Argentina, drawing 1–1 with Bulgaria, and losing 3–2 to Italy.

Their next major tournament was the 1988 AFC Asian Cup, in which they won all their games in the group stage and defeated China 2–1 in the semi-finals but lost on penalties 4–3 in the final against Saudi Arabia.

1990–2001

South Korea started the 1990s poorly. At the 1990 FIFA World Cup, they lost all their games against Spain 3–1, Uruguay 1–0, and Belgium 2–0. South Korea failed to qualify for the 1992 Asian Cup as well.

In the 1994 FIFA World Cup they managed to draw with Spain 2–2. Hong Myung-bo scored a goal and assisted teammate Seo Jung-won with the second, with both goals occurring in the last five minutes of the game. In their next game they earned another draw with Bolivia 0–0. In their last game against Germany they nearly managed another draw with Hwang Sun-hong and Hong Myung-bo each scoring a goal in the second half after being down 3–0 but they were unable to score thereafter and were defeated 3–2.

In the 1996 Asian Cup they barely managed to make it out of the group stage as they ranked third on their group, losing to Kuwait on goal difference. A comparison made between all the third ranked teams in each group allowed South Korea to advance. However, they suffered a 2–6 loss to Iran in the quarter-finals, conceding five goals in the second half.

Afterwards, former South Korean legend Cha Bum-kun became the head coach going into the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Performing well in the qualification, the team played poorly in the tournament, losing to Mexico 3–1 and the Netherlands 5–0. Cha was sacked after the loss to the Netherlands. The team then managed a 1–1 draw against Belgium. In the 2000 AFC Asian Cup, South Korea managed to advance out of the group stage and defeated Iran 2–1 in the quarter-finals but were beaten by Saudi Arabia 2–1 in the semi-finals. They defeated China 1–0 to gain third-place.

Semifinalists: 2002 World Cup

Seoul Plaza during the 2002 World Cup

South Korea co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament with Japan. As they had never won a game in the World Cup previously, hopes were not very high. In addition there was pre-tournament criticism concerning Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, who many felt did not take his job seriously. However once the tournament began the South Korean team achieved their first ever victory in a World Cup with a 2–0 victory against Poland. 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 Korean public, with many people joining the Red Devils, which gained widespread attention with their passionate support of the team.[7]

South Korea's second round opponents were Italy, who they defeated 2–1 in a very physical match. The 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 referee officials.[8][9] The game then went to the penalties and South Korea won the penalty shootout 5–3, and becoming the first Asian team to reach the final four.[10] 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 to gain 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.

2003–2006

Despite widespread pleas for him to stay, Hiddink resigned following the 2002 World Cup. After his departure there was a greater emphasis on hiring foreign coaches. As a result, Portuguese coach Humberto Coelho became the new manager. Under his management South Korea participated in and won the first EAFF East Asian Cup in 2003. However, following shocking defeats to Oman and Vietnam and a hapless 0–0 draw against the Maldives, Coehlo was sacked. Dutch coach Jo Bonfrere then took over. They had less success the next year in the Asian Cup, losing to Iran in the quarter finals. South Korea hosted the East Asian Cup in 2005 but finished in last place.

2006 FIFA World Cup

South Korea qualified for the 2006 World Cup after defeating Kuwait in the qualifiers, finishing second in Group B after Saudi Arabia. By this point Bonfrere had come under heavy criticism for the team's poor performance during the 2005 East Asian Cup as well as a 0–2 defeat to Saudi Arabia during World Cup qualification. He eventually resigned, and as a result, the Korean Football Association named Dick Advocaat the new coach to lead the team into the World Cup. During the 2006 World Cup, South Korea achieved their first World Cup victory outside Asia by beating Togo 2–1, with goals from Lee Chun-soo and Ahn Jung-hwan. Their next game was against France, who held the lead for most of the game but a goal by Park Ji-sung allowed the South Korean team to draw with the eventual finalists. This placed South Korea at the top of their group but they lost their last game 2–0 to Switzerland, which eliminated them from the tournament. Advocaat resigned after failing to reach the second round and was replaced by assistant coach Pim Verbeek, who had also worked under Hiddink during the 2002 World Cup.

2007–2010

South Korea's next major tournament was the 2007 Asian Cup. The team struggled in the group stages without key players Lee Young-pyo, Park Ji-sung, and Seol Ki-hyeon. The team drew its first game 1–1 against Saudi Arabia but suffered a shocking 1–2 defeat to Bahrain. They narrowly defeated co-host Indonesia in their final group game and managed to scrape through with four points. They defeated Iran in the quarterfinals via penalty shootout following a 0–0 draw. South Korea entered another penalty shootout after another goalless draw to Iraq but were defeated. They then beat Japan on penalties once more to gain third place. Later, it was discovered that during the tournament, four veteran players, including then captain Lee Woon-jae, broke team rules to go on a late-night drinking binge in an Indonesian bar. Each of the four players were banned from national team participation for at least two years.[11] Pim Verbeek resigned after the tournament, taking blame for the team's unsatisfactory performance as they had failed to score a single goal following the group stage and had to resort to penalties for three games in a row. He also criticized the unrealistic expectations from the fans.

Afterwards, South Korea chose its first South Korean coach since 2000 when Huh Jung-moo, who had coached the team in 2000, took the helm for the second time. Under his management, the South Korean team managed to win the 2008 East Asian Cup, go undefeated for 27 consecutive games in 2009, and qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

2010 FIFA World Cup

South Korea playing against Argentina at the FIFA World Cup, in June 2010.
South Korea national football team – October 2012

South Korea won the 2010 World Cup AFC qualification with 16 points – seven wins and seven draws in total. In the 2010 World Cup they were placed in Group B. 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.

2010–2014

Following the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Cho Kwang-rae took over as the coach. In the 2011 AFC Asian Cup they started out with a 2–1 victory over Bahrain. They drew 1–1 with Australia in their second game and finished the group stage with a 4–1 victory over India. South Korea finished with seven points but was second in the group after Australia on goal difference. They played Iran in the quarterfinals and after extra time beat them 1–0. They faced rivals Japan in the semi-finals. South Korea took the lead after Ki Sung-yueng converted a penalty in the 23rd minute. Japan scored an equalizer and the game went to extra time. Japan went ahead during the first half of extra time but Korea scored an equalizer at the end of the game, forcing the game into penalties. Korea failed to score, with Japanese goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima saving two penalties and were beaten 3–0 in the penalty shoot-out. They defeated Uzbekistan 3–2 to earn third place for the second Asian Cup in a row. They managed to win the Fair Play Award and midfielder Koo Ja-cheol finished as the tournament's top scorer with five goals.

Following the Asian Cup, key players Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo retired and the team's performance began to decline. Following a humiliating 3–0 loss to Japan and a shocking 1–2 loss to Lebanon in Beirut, Cho was unceremoniously sacked despite an initial 6–0 victory over Lebanon on home soil. He was hurriedly replaced with Choi Kang-hee with the task of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup as the team was in jeopardy of breaking its long-running streak of World Cup qualifications. Under Choi South Korea narrowly qualified for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil by finishing second in their group via goal difference. Choi's contract was up after the conclusion of the qualification matches and was replaced by former player Hong Myung-bo, who had captained the 2002 World Cup team and coached the under-23 team to a bronze medal finish at the 2012 Olympics. Despite high expectations under Hong, South Korea continued its run of poor form. A victory against Costa Rica was followed by losses to Mexico and the United States and shortly prior to the World Cup the team registered dismal losses against Tunisia and Ghana.

2014 FIFA World Cup

South Korea started its World Cup campaign against Russia, with forward Lee Keun-ho scoring in the second half after coming on as a substitute for Park Chu-young. Russia equalized six minutes later and the game ended in a 1–1 draw. South Korea suffered a 4–2 loss to Algeria in their second game, conceding three goals by half time with no shots on goal. Son Heung-min and Koo Ja-cheol both scored goals in the second half but the South Koreans were unable to equalize, leaving them at the bottom of their group. Their final game was against Belgium and despite Belgian midfielder Steven Defour earning a red card in the match they were able to win 1–0, eliminating South Korea and leaving them without a single win for the first time since 1998.

The team's poor performance resulted in a hostile reaction from fans, who threw toffees at them upon their return.[12] Hong was heavily criticized for the perceived lack of strategy and team selection controversies. Following the World Cup, Hong initially intended to continue in his position until the 2015 Asian Cup, but relented and resigned under heavy media pressure along with several KFA associates in responsibility for the failures at the World Cup. The KFA reinstated Lee Yong-soo as its technical committee director, who held the same position during Hiddink's success in 2002.

2015–2018

Following the 2014 World Cup, the South Korean team's rank, as well as public support of the team, continued to decline. The team was ranked 57th before the tournament and dropped to a low of 69th by the end of the year, their worst ever. After initial negotiations with Bert van Marwijk broke down, the KFA appointed Uli Stielike in October as the new manager with a contract up to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Shortly after the announcement, the national team managed a 3–1 victory over Venezuela, their first victory in almost nine months. However, they suffered a 0–1 loss to Uruguay shortly after. Stielike officially took over the team following the loss to Uruguay. Under his management, the team won its first game against Paraguay 2–0 but were beaten by Costa Rica 3–1 shortly after.

South Korea automatically qualified for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup due to their third-place finish in the 2011 tournament. They were drawn into Group A with host country Australia, Kuwait and Oman. They began the tournament with a 1–0 win over Oman, with Cho Young-cheol scoring the winning goal. They obtained another narrow 1–0 victory in their second game against Kuwait, the team's first back-to-back victory in over a year. The victory allowed the team to automatically qualify for the quarterfinals, but their shaky performance was criticized. In their final group stage match Korea managed to find its form and defeated host and tournament favorites Australia with the same result in their final group stage match and qualified to the knockout stage as the Group A winner. However, key players Koo Ja-cheol and Lee Chung-yong suffered injuries and had to leave the tournament. South Korea defeated Uzbekistan in the quarter-finals with two goals from Son Heung-min in extra time and advanced to semi-finals for the tenth time, a tournament record. Another 2–0 victory over Iraq in the semi-finals allowed them to advance to the final for the first time since 1988. In the final, South Korea faced Australia in a rematch of their group stage match. Australia took the lead in the first half but South Korea managed to equalize in the final minutes of the game, forcing the match into extra time. However, Australia managed to score again, defeating South Korea 2–1.[13] Despite the loss in the final, the team was praised for its performance as they had managed to reach the final without conceding any goals. Public confidence, which had fallen to an all-time low following the World Cup, was restored and the team was given a hero's welcome upon their return.[14]

For the combined qualification matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, South Korea was drawn with Kuwait, Lebanon, Myanmar, and Laos in Group G of the second round. After winning seven matches without conceding a goal, South Korea qualified for the third round of the AFC qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup. Following a series of poor results in the third round of qualifiers, including defeats to China and Qatar, head coach Uli Stielike was sacked and was replaced by former U-20 and U-23 coach Shin Tae-yong for the remainder of the qualifying round.[15] Under Shin, 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.[16]

2018 FIFA World Cup

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

At the 2018 FIFA World Cup they were placed in Group F, where they finished in third place with three points. They lost their first game against Sweden 1–0. They then faced Mexico and lost 2–1. In the final group stage match, South Korea won 2–0 against the defending champions Germany and eliminated them from the first round for the first time in 80 years. Germany had 28 shots with 6 on target, but the South Korean defense, led by keeper Cho Hyun-woo, did not concede once.[17][18][19]

Team image

Kits and crest

Red has been the traditional color of the national team, leading to the nickname "The Reds" by fans as well as leading to the namesake of the supporter group Red Devils. The away colors have varied between white and blue. In 1994, the home kit shifted from red to white, but in October 1995, the red returned as home color, paired with black shorts.

South Korea has used Taegeukgi as a crest until May 2001, when the new crest with emboded tiger was unveiled.[20]

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier Period Notes
Adidas, Asics, Kolon Sports
Prospecs, Weekend		 1977–1985 Adidas was South Korea's first official kit sponsor.
At that time, Didn't have exculsive kit sponsor.[21]
Weekend 1985–1988 Sportswear brand of Samsung C&T Corporation[22]
Rapido 1988–1995 Weekend was renamed Rapido in January 1988[23]
Nike 1996–present Sponsorship Contract Date: End of 1995[24]
Contract Start Date: 1 January 1996

Kit deals

Kit supplier Period Contract date Contract duration Value Notes
Nike 1996–present 1995–12–?? 1996–1997 (2 years) Total $3.0 million[25]
($1.5 million per year)
1997–12–16 1998–2002 (5 years) Total $38 million[26][27][28]
($7.6 million per year)
2003–01–09 2003–2007 (5 years) Total $50 million[29]
($10 million per year)
2007–12–23 2008–2011 (4 years) Total $49 million[30]
($12.25 million per year)
2012–01–13 2012–2019 (8 years) Total $120 million[31]
($15 million per year)

Supporters

The official supporter group of the national team are the Red Devils, which was founded in 1995. The Red Devils are known for their passionate support of the team and commonly referred to as the 12th member of the team.[7] The most common cheer is shouting "대~한민국 (Dae~han Minguk, Republic of Korea)" followed by five claps. FIFA Fan Fest was influenced by Korean-style street cheering.

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.[32] The two teams have met in five consecutive Asian Cup quarterfinal matches (1996, 2000, 2004, 2007, and 2011), with each team recording two wins, two losses, and a tie. They have played against each other officially since 1958, totalling 28 matches as of January 2015, including seven World Cup qualifiers. These two teams were among the strongest Asian national football teams during the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, the teams have developed one of Asia's greatest rivalries. 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 at the quarterfinals stage since 1996. Iran leads the series with 13 wins, 7 draws and 9 losses.

Recent results and fixtures

  Win   Draw   Loss

Coaching Staff

Position Name
Manager 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 friendly matches against Uruguay and Panama on 12 and 16 October 2018.
Caps and goals correct as of 12 October 2018, after the match against Uruguay.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1GK Kim Seung-gyu (1990-09-30) 30 September 1990 35 0 Japan Vissel Kobe
1GK Kim Jin-hyeon (1987-07-06) 6 July 1987 16 0 Japan Cerezo Osaka
1GK Jo Hyeon-woo (1991-09-25) 25 September 1991 9 0 South Korea Daegu FC
2DF Kim Young-gwon (1990-02-27) 27 February 1990 59 3 China Guangzhou Evergrande
2DF Jang Hyun-soo (1991-09-28) 28 September 1991 57 3 Japan FC Tokyo
2DF Park Joo-ho (1987-01-16) 16 January 1987 37 0 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai
2DF Lee Yong (1986-12-24) 24 December 1986 34 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2DF Hong Chul (1990-09-17) 17 September 1990 19 0 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings
2DF Kim Min-jae (1996-11-15) 15 November 1996 9 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2DF Jung Seung-hyun (1994-04-03) 3 April 1994 6 0 Japan Kashima Antlers
2DF Kim Moon-hwan (1995-08-01) 1 August 1995 2 0 South Korea Busan IPark
2DF Park Ji-soo (1994-06-13) 13 June 1994 0 0 South Korea Gyeongnam FC
3MF Ki Sung-yueng (1989-01-24) 24 January 1989 107 10 England Newcastle United
3MF Nam Tae-hee (1991-07-03) 3 July 1991 41 5 Qatar Al-Duhail
3MF Jung Woo-young (1989-12-14) 14 December 1989 36 2 Qatar Al-Sadd
3MF Lee Seung-woo (1998-01-06) 6 January 1998 7 0 Italy Hellas Verona
3MF Kim Seung-dae (1991-04-01) 1 April 1991 5 1 South Korea Pohang Steelers
3MF Hwang In-beom (1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 3 0 South Korea Daejeon Citizen
3MF Lee Jin-hyun (1997-08-26) 26 August 1997 0 0 South Korea Pohang Steelers
4FW Son Heung-min (Captain) (1992-07-08) 8 July 1992 73 23 England Tottenham Hotspur
4FW Lee Jae-sung (1992-08-10) 10 August 1992 40 7 Germany Holstein Kiel
4FW Hwang Hee-chan (1996-01-26) 26 January 1996 19 2 Germany Hamburger SV
4FW Hwang Ui-jo (1992-08-28) 28 August 1992 14 2 Japan Gamba Osaka
4FW Suk Hyun-jun (1991-06-29) 29 June 1991 12 4 France Reims
4FW Moon Seon-min (1992-06-09) 9 June 1992 8 1 South Korea Incheon United

Recent call-ups

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

Retired players are not listed.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Song Bum-keun (1997-10-15) 15 October 1997 0 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v.  Chile, 11 September 2018
GK Kim Dong-jun (1994-12-19) 19 December 1994 0 0 South Korea Seongnam FC v.  Latvia, 3 February 2018
DF Yun Suk-young (1990-02-13) 13 February 1990 13 0 South Korea FC Seoul v.  Chile, 11 September 2018
DF Yun Young-sun (1988-10-04) 4 October 1988 7 0 South Korea Seongnam FC v.  Chile, 11 September 2018
DF Kim Min-woo (1990-02-25) 25 February 1990 22 1 South Korea Sangju Sangmu 2018 FIFA World Cup
DF Go Yo-han (1988-03-10) 10 March 1988 21 0 South Korea FC Seoul 2018 FIFA World Cup
DF Oh Ban-suk (1988-05-20) 20 May 1988 2 0 United Arab Emirates Al-Wasl 2018 FIFA World Cup
DF Kim Jin-su (1992-06-13) 13 June 1992 34 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 June 2018 INJ
DF Kwon Kyung-won (1992-01-31) 31 January 1992 5 1 China Tianjin Quanjian v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 June 2018
DF Hong Jeong-ho (1989-08-12) 12 August 1989 42 2 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v.  Poland, 27 March 2018
DF Choi Chul-soon (1987-02-18) 18 February 1987 11 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v.  Poland, 27 March 2018
MF Koo Ja-cheol (1989-02-27) 27 February 1989 70 19 Germany FC Augsburg v.  Uruguay, 12 October 2018 INJ
MF Ju Se-jong (1990-10-30) 30 October 1990 13 1 South Korea Asan Mugunghwa v.  Chile, 11 September 2018
MF Lee Chung-yong (1988-07-02) 2 July 1988 79 8 Germany VfL Bochum v.  Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1 June 2018
MF Yeom Ki-hun (1983-03-30) 30 March 1983 57 5 South Korea Suwon Samsung Bluewings v.  Poland, 27 March 2018
MF Kwon Chang-hoon (1994-06-30) 30 June 1994 16 4 France Dijon v.  Poland, 27 March 2018 INJ
MF Lee Chang-min (1994-01-20) 20 January 1994 7 1 South Korea Jeju United v.  Poland, 27 March 2018 INJ
MF Lee Seung-gi (1988-06-02) 2 June 1988 15 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v.  Latvia, 3 February 2018
MF Kim Tae-hwan (1989-07-24) 24 July 1989 5 0 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai v.  Latvia, 3 February 2018
MF Kim Sung-joon (1988-04-08) 8 April 1988 3 0 South Korea FC Seoul v.  Latvia, 3 February 2018 INJ
MF Son Jun-ho (1992-05-12) 12 May 1992 3 0 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors v.  Latvia, 3 February 2018
MF Lee Chan-dong (1993-01-10) 10 January 1993 2 0 South Korea Jeju United v.  Latvia, 3 February 2018
MF Lee Myung-joo (1990-04-24) 24 April 1990 17 1 South Korea Asan Mugunghwa 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
MF Yun Il-lok (1992-03-07) 7 March 1992 8 1 Japan Yokohama F. Marinos 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
FW Ji Dong-won (1991-05-28) 28 May 1991 49 11 Germany FC Augsburg v.  Chile, 11 September 2018 INJ
FW Kim Shin-wook (1988-04-14) 14 April 1988 51 10 South Korea Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2018 FIFA World Cup
FW Lee Keun-ho (1985-04-11) 11 April 1985 84 19 South Korea Ulsan Hyundai v.  Poland, 27 March 2018
FW Jin Seong-wook (1993-11-16) 16 November 1993 4 0 South Korea Jeju United v.  Latvia, 3 February 2018
FW Lee Jeong-hyeop (1991-06-24) 24 June 1991 19 5 Japan Shonan Bellmare 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship

INJ Withdrew from the squad due to an injury.

World Cup captains

Statistics below are from matches which the Korea Football Association consider as official.[33]
Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

As of 11 September 2018
# Player World Cup Caps Goals
1 Chu Yung-kwang 1954 7 0
2 Park Chang-sun 1986 34 9
3 Chung Yong-hwan 1990 86 3
4 Choi In-young 1994 51 0
5 Choi Young-il 1998 55 0
6 Hong Myung-bo 2002 136 10
7 Lee Woon-jae 2006 133 0
8 Park Ji-sung 2010 100 13
9 Koo Ja-cheol 2014 70 19
10 Ki Sung-yueng 2018 106 10

Most capped players

Statistics below are from matches which the Korea Football Association consider as official.[33]
Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

As of 11 September 2018
# Player Career Caps Goals
1 Cha Bum-kun 1972–1986 136 58
Hong Myung-bo 1990–2002 136 10
3 Lee Woon-jae 1994–2010 133 0
4 Lee Young-pyo 1999–2011 127 5
6 Yoo Sang-chul 1994–2005 124 18
Kim Ho-kon 1971–1979 124 5
7 Cho Young-jeung 1975–1986 113 1
8 Park Sung-hwa 1975–1984 107 26
9 Ki Sung-yueng 2008–present 106 10
11 Kim Tae-young 1992–2004 105 3
Lee Dong-gook 1998–present 105 33

Top goalscorers

Statistics below are from matches which only FIFA international matces.
Bold names denote a player still playing or available for selection.

As of 11 June 2018
# Player Career Goals Caps
1 Cha Bum-kun 1972–1986 58 136
2 Hwang Sun-hong 1988–2002 50 103
3 Park Lee-chun 1969–1974 36 89
4 Kim Jae-han 1972–1979 33 58
Lee Dong-gook 1998–present 33 105
6 Huh Jung-moo 1974–1986 30 103
Choi Soon-ho 1980–1991 30 97
Kim Do-hoon 1994–2003 30 72
9 Kim Jin-kook 1972–1977 27 97
Lee Young-moo 1975–1981 27 85
Choi Yong-soo 1995–2003 27 69

Squads

Honours

Worldwide competitions

Fourth place: 2002
Most Entertaining Team: 2002

Continental competitions

Winners: 1956, 1960
Runners-up: 1972, 1980, 1988, 2015
Third place: 1964, 2000, 2007, 2011
1st, gold medalist(s) Gold Medal: 1970, 1978, 1986
2nd, silver medalist(s) Silver Medal: 1954, 1958, 1962
3rd, bronze medalist(s) Bronze Medal: 1990
Fourth place: 1994
Fourth place: 2002

Regional competitions

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

Team record

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position GP W D L GF GA GP W D L GS GA
Brazil 1950 Did not enter
Switzerland 1954 Group stage 16th 2 0 0 2 0 16 211073
Sweden 1958 Preliminary competition entry denied[34]
Chile 1962 Did not qualify 420269
England 1966 Did not enter
Mexico 1970 Did not qualify 412165
West Germany 1974 8341104
Argentina 1978 12561169
Spain 1982 320174
Mexico 1986 Group stage 20th 3 0 1 2 4 7 8701173
Italy 1990 22nd 3 0 0 3 1 6 11920301
United States 1994 20th 3 0 2 1 4 5 13931325
France 1998 30th 3 0 1 2 2 9 12921288
South Korea Japan 2002 Fourth place 4th 7 3 2 2 8 6 Qualified as hosts
Germany 2006 Group stage 17th 3 1 1 1 3 4 12732187
South Africa 2010 Round of 16 15th 4 1 1 2 6 8 14770227
Brazil 2014 Group stage 27th 3 0 1 2 3 6 148332711
Russia 2018 19th 3 1 0 2 3 3 1812333810
Total Fourth place 10/21 34 6 9 19 34 70 135 82 36 17 264 86

AFC Asian Cup

AFC Asian Cup Record Qualification Record
Year Result Position GP W D L GS GA GP W D L GS GA
British Hong Kong 1956Champions1st321096 440091
South Korea 1960Champions1st330091 Qualified as hosts
Israel 1964Third place3rd310224 000000
Iran 1968Did not qualify 411294
Thailand 1972Runners-up2nd512276 000000
Iran 1976Did not qualify 420233
Kuwait 1980Runners-up2nd6411126 3300101
Singapore 1984Group Stage9th402213 4310130
Qatar 1988Runners-up2nd6510113 311153
Japan 1992Did not qualify 210172
United Arab Emirates 1996Quarter-Finals7th4112711 3300170
Lebanon 2000Third place3rd631296 3300190
China 2004Quarter-Finals6th421194 6402304
IndonesiaMalaysiaThailandVietnam 2007Third place3rd614133 6321155
Qatar 2011Third Place3rd6420137 Qualified as top three finishers
Australia 2015Runners-up2nd650182 Qualified as top three finishers
United Arab Emirates 2019Qualified 8800270
Total2 Titles14/17623216141006250365916423

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup Record
Year Result Position GP W D L GF GA
Saudi Arabia 1992 Did not enter
Saudi Arabia 1995 Did not qualify
Saudi Arabia 1997
Mexico 1999
South Korea Japan 2001 Group stage 5th 3 2 0 1 3 6
France 2003 Did not qualify
Germany 2005
South Africa 2009
Brazil 2013
Russia 2017
Total Group Stage 1/10 3 2 0 1 3 6

EAFF East Asian Cup

EAFF East Asian Cup Record
Year Result Position GP W D L GS GA
Japan 2003Champions1st321041
South Korea 2005Fourth place4th302112
China 2008Champions1st312054
Japan 2010Runners-up2nd320184
South Korea 2013Third place3rd302112
China 2015Champions1st312031
Japan 2017Champions1st321073
South Korea 2019To be determined
Total4 Titles7/72181032917

Olympic Games

Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.
Summer Olympic Games Record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
United Kingdom 1948Quarter-finals8th2101515
Finland 1952Did not enter
Australia 1956Did not qualify
Italy 1960
Japan 1964Group Stage14th3003120
Mexico 1968Did not qualify
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976
Soviet Union 1980
United States 1984
South Korea 1988Group Stage11th302112
1992–present See South Korea national under-23 football team
TotalQuarter-finals3 / 198125737

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 GS GA
India 1951Did not enter
Philippines 1954Runners-up2nd41211512
Japan 1958Runners-up2nd5401156
Indonesia 1962Runners-up2nd540195
Thailand 1966Round 111th200204
Thailand 1970Champions1st632153
Iran 1974Round 28th5113410
Thailand 1978Champions1st7610153
India 1982Group Stage9th310243
South Korea 1986Champions1st6420143
China 1990Third place3rd6501181
Japan 1994Fourth place4th6303177
Thailand 1998Quarter-finals6th6402126
2002–present See South Korea national under-23 football team
Total3 Titles12/13613681712863

Head-to-head records

As of 12 October 2018
*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
**Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "첫 A 매치 골 주인공은 故정남식·정국진씨" (in Korean). Kukmin Ilbo. 5 August 2007.
  2. ↑ Wright, Rob (6 June 2018). "World Cup 2018: Why you should follow South Korea".
  3. ↑ "Red Devils". EncyKorea.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Hong, Fan (2016). Sport and Nationalism in Asia: Power, Politics and Identity. Routledge. pp. 93–97. ISBN 9781317574019.
  5. ↑ "Korea Football Association::::". KFA. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "Korea Football Association | SportsKnowHow.com". www.sportsknowhow.com. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  7. 1 2 (in Korean) History of the Red Devils Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine., Inews, 21 May 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2010
  8. ↑ "Spain rage at referee". theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  9. ↑ "Biggest World Cup controversies". www.worldcup.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  10. ↑ "The Story Of The World Cup: South Korea/Japan 2002". firsttouchonline.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "South Korea ban Boro's Dong-Gook". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 November 2007. Archived from the original on 4 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "World Cup 2014: South Korea pelted with toffees on return home". The Guardian. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
  15. ↑ "Shin Tae-yong named Korea Republic coach". AFC. 4 July 2017. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  16. ↑ "Korea Republic headed to ninth consecutive World Cup". fifa.com. FIFA. 5 September 2017. Archived from the original on 21 October 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  17. ↑ "Holders Germany crash out of World Cup after losing 2-0 to South Korea". Sky News. Sky UK. 27 June 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  18. ↑ Emons, Michael (27 June 2018). "Germany knocked out of 2018 World Cup". BBC Sport. BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  19. ↑ Kyung-don, Joo (27 June 2018). "(World Cup) S. Korea stun Germany, still out of tournament". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  20. ↑ ""호랑이 한국축구 새얼굴" .. 축구協 엠블럼 공식발표".
  21. ↑ 대표선수도 국제경기서 버젓이 서독 아디다스, 일본 미즈노등 외제 스포츠용품 국내시장 석권 (in Korean). Kyunghyang Sinmun. 1981-02-27.
  22. ↑ 필승!위크엔드스포츠-멕시코월드컵에서 대표팀과 함께 뜁니다 (in Korean). Kyunghyang Newspaper. 1986-05-30.
  23. ↑ 월드컵 상혼 장외서 뜨거운 "광고전쟁" (in Korean). Kyunghyang Newspaper. 1990-06-20.
  24. ↑ 축구협회 월드컵유니폼 교체 '후원금 최소 100억' (in Korean). Kyunghyang Newspaper. 1997-12-11.
  25. ↑ 한국축구, 나이키와 500억 후원계약
  26. ↑ 나이키"한국축구 380억 지원
  27. ↑ 축구대표팀 태극유니폼 380억
  28. ↑ 태극전사 유니폼 스폰서 교체여부 관심
  29. ↑ 나이키와 5백억 후원계약 .. 축구대표팀 2007년까지
  30. ↑ 나이키, 축구대표팀 유니폼 후원 490억원에 4년 연장
  31. ↑ 축구대표 가슴 로고 값은 1200억원
  32. ↑ "Asia's finale sees three spots up for grabs". FIFA.com. 17 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  33. 1 2 "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  34. ↑ "History of the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition (by year)" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  35. ↑ Czechoslovakia records total
Preceded by
Inaugural Champion		 Asian Champions
1956 (First title)
1960 (Second title)		 Succeeded by
1964 Israel 
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
1985 Cameroon 		 Afro-Asian Cup Champions
1988 (First title)		 Succeeded by
1991 Algeria 
Preceded by
Inaugural Champion		 EAFF Champions
2003 (First title)		 Succeeded by
2005 China PR 
Preceded by
2005 China PR 		 EAFF Champions
2008 (Second title)		 Succeeded by
2010 China PR 
Preceded by
2013 Japan 		 EAFF Champions
2015 (Third title)
2017 (Fourth title)		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
2001 China PR 		 AFC Men's Team of the Year
2002		 Succeeded by
2003 Iraq 
Preceded by
2008 Japan 		 AFC Men's Team of the Year
2009		 Succeeded by
2010 Japan 
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