South Korea national football team

	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

Korea Republic
Nickname(s)	태극전사 (Taegeuk Warriors); 아시아의 호랑이 (Tigers of Asia)
Association	Korea Football Association (KFA)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	EAFF (East Asia)
Head coach	Paulo Bento
Captain	Son Heung-min
Most caps	Cha Bum-kun; Hong Myung-bo; (136 each)
Top scorer	Cha Bum-kun (58)
Home stadium	Seoul World Cup Stadium
FIFA code	KOR
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	40 (11 June 2020)[1]
Highest	17 (December 1998)
Lowest	69 (November 2014 – January 2015)
Elo ranking
Current	27 3 (2 April 2020)[2]
Highest	15 (September 1980, June 2002)
Lowest	80 (August 1967)
First 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
Appearances	10 (first in 1954)
Best result	Fourth place (2002)
Asian Cup
Appearances	14 (first in 1956)
Best result	Champions (1956, 1960)
EAFF Championship
Appearances	8 (first in 2003)
Best result	Champions (2003, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2001)
Best result	Group stage (2001)
Men's football
AFC Asian Cup
Asian Games
EAFF Championship

The Korea Republic national football team (Korean: 대한민국 축구 국가대표팀) represents Korea Republic in men's international football and is governed by the Korea Football Association. Since the 1950s, Korea Republic 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, Korea Republic became the only Asian team to reach the semi-final stages when they co-hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan. Korea Republic also recorded five titles and seven-time runners-up in the AFC Asian Cup and the senior Asian Games.[3] 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.[4]

History

Early history

Korea (Joseon) was not introduced to the sport of association football until the late 19th century; it is often said that football in Korea dates to 1882, when British sailors from HMS Flying Fish played a game while their vessel was visiting the Incheon Port.[5] 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.[6] 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.[5] Koreans also played on the Japanese national team, most notably Kim Yong-sik who played for Japan at the 1936 Summer Olympics.[7]

The Joseon FA was reorganized in 1945 as Japanese occupation ended with the close of World War II.[5][8] 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.[5]

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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[11]

In 1960, South Korea won the second AFC Asian Cup by defeating South Vietnam, Israel and Republic of China.[12] However, South Korean players received fake medals, which are not made of gold, and returned them to the KFA.[13] 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.[14] On 4 January 2019, the KFA had an event to give gold medals to members and bereaved families.[14]

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,[15] 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,[16] to train them intensively.[17] The club also participated in the 1967 Merdeka Tournament and the 1969 Asian Club Championship.[18] 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.[19]

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 German Bundesliga at that time,[20][21] in the existing team which included Park Chang-sun, Huh Jung-moo, Cho Kwang-rae, Choi Soon-ho, Kim Joo-sung, etc,[22][23] was evaluated as the golden generation in their country before the 1986 FIFA World Cup.[23] 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, claiming that his judgements about situations of the game were poor.[24][25] South Korea redeemed failure of World Cup with a gold at the 1986 Asian Games.[26]

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.[27] 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,[28] and became the only player who received acclaim,[29] 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.[30] The KFA promised him to ensure long-term training camps and authority about management of coaching staff.[31] 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.[32] 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,[33] England and France.[34][35]

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.[36]

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.[37][38] 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.[39] 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.[40] 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.[41] 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.[42]

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.[43] 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.[44] 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.[45] The match is also called the "Miracle of Kazan" in South Korea although they dropped out of the tournament.[46]

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.[47] On 5 February 2020, the KFA announced a new, more simplistic logo.[48] The emblem retained the tiger, albeit in a more minimalist design, enclosed in a rectangular frame.[48] Red, blue and white, South Korea's traditional colors, have been maintained in the new logo.[48]

Kit suppliers

Period	1977–1985	1985–1988	1988–1995	1996–present
Kit supplier	Adidas[lower-greek 1] Asics Kolon Sports Prospecs Weekend	Weekend[lower-greek 2]	Rapido[lower-greek 3]	Nike[52]

Adidas was South Korea's first official kit sponsor,[49] but South Korea used several brands for the same period
Sportswear brand of the Samsung C&T Corporation[50]
Weekend was renamed Rapido in January 1988[51]

Kit deals

Kit supplier	Period	Contract date	Contract duration	Value
Nike	1996–present	December 1995	1996–1997	Total $3.0 million ($1.5 million per year)
		16 December 1997	1998–2002	Total $38 million[53] ($7.6 million per year)
		9 January 2003	2003–2007	Total $50 million[54] ($10 million per year)
		23 October 2007	2008–2011	Total $49 million[55] ($12.25 million per year)
		13 January 2012	2012–2019	Total $120 million[56] ($15 million per year)
		20 January 2020	2020–2031	Total $204 million[57] ($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.[36] Their most common chant is "Dae~han Minguk" (Korean: "대~한민국"; meaning: 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 leads the all-time series with 42 wins, 23 draws and 14 losses.[58]

A rivalry has also developed with Iran.[59] 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.[58]

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

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
1950	Did not enter
1954	Group stage	16th	2	0	0	2	0	16	Squad	2	1	1	0	7	3
1958	Preliminary competition entry denied[60]
1962	Did not qualify									4	2	0	2	6	9
1966	Did not enter
1970	Did not qualify									4	1	2	1	6	5
1974										8	3	4	1	10	4
1978										12	5	6	1	16	9
1982										3	2	0	1	7	4
1986	Group stage	20th	3	0	1	2	4	7	Squad	8	7	0	1	17	3
1990	Group stage	22nd	3	0	0	3	1	6	Squad	11	9	2	0	30	1
1994	Group stage	20th	3	0	2	1	4	5	Squad	13	9	3	1	32	5
1998	Group stage	30th	3	0	1	2	2	9	Squad	12	9	2	1	28	8
2002	Fourth place	4th	7	3	2	2	8	6	Squad	Qualified as hosts
2006	Group stage	17th	3	1	1	1	3	4	Squad	12	7	3	2	18	7
2010	Round of 16	15th	4	1	1	2	6	8	Squad	14	7	7	0	22	7
2014	Group stage	27th	3	0	1	2	3	6	Squad	14	8	3	3	27	11
2018	Group stage	19th	3	1	0	2	3	3	Squad	18	12	3	3	38	10
2022	To be determined									4	2	2	0	10	0
2026	To be determined
Total	Fourth place	10/18[lower-greek 1]	34	6	9	19	34	70		139	84	38	17	274	86

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
1948	Quarter-finals	8th	2	1	0	1	5	15	Squad	Directly qualified
1952	Did not enter
1956	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	2
1960	Did not qualify									4	2	0	2	4	4
1964	Group stage	14th	3	0	0	3	1	20	Squad	4	2	1	1	7	4
1968	Did not qualify									5	4	1	0	17	5
1972										4	3	0	1	16	2
1976										6	3	2	1	10	5
1980										6	4	0	2	16	6
1984										11	5	3	3	19	11
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[lower-greek 1]	8	1	2	5	7	37		42	24	7	11	91	39

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
1956	Champions	1st	3	2	1	0	9	6	Squad	4	4	0	0	9	1
1960	Champions	1st	3	3	0	0	9	1	Squad	Qualified as hosts
1964	Third place	3rd	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad	0	0	0	0	0	0
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
1976	Did not qualify									4	2	0	2	3	3
1980	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	1	1	12	6	Squad	3	3	0	0	10	1
1984	Group stage	9th	4	0	2	2	1	3	Squad	4	3	1	0	13	0
1988	Runners-up	2nd	6	5	1	0	11	3	Squad	3	1	1	1	5	3
1992	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	7	2
1996	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	1	2	7	11	Squad	3	3	0	0	17	0
2000	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	9	6	Squad	3	3	0	0	19	0
2004	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	1	1	9	4	Squad	6	4	0	2	30	4
2007	Third place	3rd	6	1	4	1	3	3	Squad	6	3	2	1	15	5
2011	Third Place	3rd	6	4	2	0	13	7	Squad	Directly qualified
2015	Runners-up	2nd	6	5	0	1	8	2	Squad	Directly qualified
2019	Quarter-finals	5th	5	4	0	1	6	2	Squad	8	8	0	0	27	0
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
1951	Did not enter
1954	Silver medal	2nd	4	1	2	1	15	12	Squad
1958	Silver medal	2nd	5	4	0	1	15	6	Squad
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
1974	Round 2	8th	5	1	1	3	4	10	Squad
1978	Gold medal	1st	7	6	1	0	15	3	Squad
1982	Group stage	9th	3	1	0	2	4	3	Squad
1986	Gold medal	1st	6	4	2	0	14	3	Squad
1990	Bronze medal	3rd	6	5	0	1	18	1	Squad
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

EAFF Championship record
Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2003	Champions	1st	3	2	1	0	4	1	Squad
2005	Fourth place	4th	3	0	2	1	1	2	Squad
2008	Champions	1st	3	1	2	0	5	4	Squad
2010	Runners-up	2nd	3	2	0	1	8	4	Squad
2013	Third place	3rd	3	0	2	1	1	2	Squad
2015	Champions	1st	3	1	2	0	3	1	Squad
2017	Champions	1st	3	2	1	0	7	3	Squad
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
2000	CONCACAF Gold Cup	Group stage	9th	2	0	2	0	2	2	Squad
2001	FIFA Confederations Cup	Group stage	5th	3	2	0	1	3	6	Squad
2002	CONCACAF Gold Cup	Fourth place	4th	5	0	2	3	3	7	Squad

Head-to-head records

As of 18 December 2019, after the match against Japan.[58]

Total	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Total	933	500	231	202	1,666	858	+808	053.59

Results and fixtures

All-time matches

Recent 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

5 September 2019 (2019-09-05) Friendly	South Korea	2–2	Georgia	Istanbul, Turkey
16:30 UTC+3	Hwang Ui-jo 48', 85'	Report	Ananidze 40' Kvilitaia 90'	Stadium: Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium Attendance: 750 Referee: Hüseyin Göçek (Turkey)

10 September 2019 (2019-09-10) World Cup & Asian Cup qualification	Turkmenistan	0–2	South Korea	Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
19:00 UTC+5		Report	Na Sang-ho 13' Jung Woo-young 82'	Stadium: Köpetdag Stadium Attendance: 26,000 Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates) MVP: Na Sang-ho (South Korea)

10 October 2019 (2019-10-10) World Cup & Asian Cup qualification	South Korea	8–0	Sri Lanka	Hwaseong, South Korea
20:00 UTC+9	Son Heung-min 10', 45+5' (pen.) Kim Shin-wook 17', 30', 54', 64' Hwang Hee-chan 20' Kwon Chang-hoon 76'	Report		Stadium: Hwaseong Stadium Attendance: 23,522 Referee: Hasan Akrami (Iran) MVP: Kim Shin-wook (South Korea)

15 October 2019 (2019-10-15) World Cup & Asian Cup qualification	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 (2019-11-14) World Cup & Asian Cup qualification	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 (2019-11-19) Friendly	Brazil	3–0	South Korea	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
17:30 UTC+4	Paquetá 9' Coutinho 36' Danilo 60'	Report		Stadium: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium Attendance: 9,000 Referee: Ammar Al-Jeneibi (United Arab Emirates)

11 December 2019 (2019-12-11) 2019 EAFF E-1 Championship	South Korea	2–0	Hong Kong	Busan, South Korea
19:30 UTC+9	Hwang In-beom 45+1' Na Sang-ho 82'	Report		Stadium: Busan Asiad Main Stadium Attendance: 1,070 Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

15 December 2019 (2019-12-15) 2019 EAFF E-1 Championship	South Korea	1–0	China PR	Busan, South Korea
19:30 UTC+9	Kim Min-jae 13'	Report		Stadium: Busan Asiad Main Stadium Attendance: 7,916 Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

18 December 2019 (2019-12-18) 2019 EAFF E-1 Championship	South Korea	1–0	Japan	Busan, South Korea
19:30 UTC+9	Hwang In-beom 28'	Report		Stadium: Busan Asiad Main Stadium Attendance: 29,252 Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

8 October 2020 (2020-10-08) World Cup & Asian Cup qualification	South Korea	v	Turkmenistan	Cheonan, South Korea
		Report		Stadium: Cheonan Stadium

13 October 2020 (2020-10-13) World Cup & Asian Cup qualification	Sri Lanka	v	South Korea	Colombo, Sri Lanka
		Report		Stadium: Colombo Racecourse

12 November 2020 (2020-11-12) World Cup & Asian Cup qualification	South Korea	v	North Korea	South Korea
		Report

17 November 2020 (2020-11-17) World Cup & Asian Cup qualification	South Korea	v	Lebanon	South Korea
		Report

Coaching staff

Current staff

Paulo Bento became the team's head coach in 2018

As of 24 March 2020[61]

Position	Name
Head coach	Paulo Bento
Assistant coach(es)
	Choi Tae-uk
	Filipe Coelho
	Michael Kim
	Sérgio Costa
Fitness coach	Pedro Pereira
Goalkeeping coach	Vítor Silvestre

All-time managers

Lee Young-min is the first manager who managed South Korea at an international competition by participating in the 1948 Summer Olympics. He also accomplished South Korean first ever victory in a worldwide competition by winning the first round of the tournament against Mexico.[62]
Kim Jung-nam is the only manager who managed South Korea at four different major competitions: 1986 FIFA World Cup, 1988 Summer Olympics, 1980 AFC Asian Cup and 1986 Asian Games;[63] and especially at the Asian Games, he won a gold medal.
Guus Hiddink won South Korean first ever World Cup victory against Poland at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He also became the first manager who pushed an Asian nation into the semi-finals of the World Cup by leading South Korea into the semi-finals at the tournament.[64]
Huh Jung-moo managed South Korea at the 2010 FIFA World Cup where they succeeded in reaching the knockout stage for the first time on foreign soil.[65]

Players

Current squad

The following players were called-up for the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship, held in December 2019.[66]
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	48	0	Kashiwa Reysol
21	1GK	Jo Hyeon-woo	(1991-09-25) 25 September 1991	16	0	Ulsan Hyundai
12	1GK	Gu Sung-yun	(1994-06-27) 27 June 1994	2	0	Daegu FC

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

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

18	4FW	Lee Jeong-hyeop	(1991-06-24) 24 June 1991	24	5	Busan IPark
9	4FW	Kim Seung-dae	(1991-04-01) 1 April 1991	6	1	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	45	0	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
DF	Jung Seung-hyun	(1994-04-03) 3 April 1994	8	0	Ulsan Hyundai	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
DF	Hong Chul	(1990-09-17) 17 September 1990	30	0	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	v. Lebanon, 14 November 2019
DF	Lee Jae-ik	(1999-05-21) 21 May 1999	0	0	Al-Rayyan	v. North Korea, 15 October 2019

MF	Son Heung-min	(1992-07-08) 8 July 1992	87	26	Tottenham Hotspur	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF	Lee Jae-sung	(1992-08-10) 10 August 1992	49	8	Holstein Kiel	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF	Jung Woo-young	(1989-12-14) 14 December 1989	49	3	Al-Sadd	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF	Nam Tae-hee	(1991-07-03) 3 July 1991	46	6	Al-Sadd	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF	Hwang Hee-chan	(1996-01-26) 26 January 1996	32	4	Red Bull Salzburg	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF	Kwon Chang-hoon	(1994-06-30) 30 June 1994	23	5	SC Freiburg	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF	Lee Kang-in	(2001-02-19) 19 February 2001	3	0	Valencia	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
MF	Paik Seung-ho	(1997-03-17) 17 March 1997	3	0	Darmstadt 98	v. North Korea, 15 October 2019
MF	Lee Dong-gyeong	(1997-09-20) 20 September 1997	2	0	Ulsan Hyundai	v. North Korea, 15 October 2019
MF	Lee Chung-yong	(1988-07-02) 2 July 1988	89	9	Ulsan Hyundai	v. Georgia, 5 September 2019

FW	Kim Shin-wook	(1988-04-14) 14 April 1988	55	14	Shanghai Shenhua	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019
FW	Hwang Ui-jo	(1992-08-28) 28 August 1992	32	10	Bordeaux	v. Brazil, 19 November 2019

Player records

As of 7 January 2019

Statistics below are from matches which the KFA consider as official.[67]

Most capped players
#	Player	Career	Caps	Goals
1	Cha Bum-kun	1972–1986	136	58
1	Hong Myung-bo	1990–2002	136	10
3	Lee Woon-jae	1994–2010	133	0
4	Lee Young-pyo	1999–2011	127	5
5	Kim Ho-kon	1971–1979	124	5
5	Yoo Sang-chul	1994–2005	124	18
7	Cho Young-jeung	1975–1986	113	1
8	Ki Sung-yueng	2008–2019	110	10
9	Park Sung-hwa	1975–1984	107	26
10	Kim Tae-young	1992–2004	105	3
10	Lee Dong-gook	1998–2017	105	33

Top goalscorers
#	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
4	Lee Dong-gook	1998–2017	33	105
6	Kim Do-hoon	1994–2003	30	72
	Choi Soon-ho	1980–1991	30	97
	Huh Jung-moo	1974–1986	30	103
9	Choi Yong-soo	1995–2003	27	69
	Lee Young-moo	1975–1981	27	85
	Kim Jin-kook	1972–1977	27	97

Notable players

The following players were inducted into the Korean Football Hall of Fame or were considered as one of the Korean Football All-time Best XI.[16][22][68][69]
Players in bold are regarded as one of the greatest South Korean footballers of all time.[70][71]

Goalkeepers

Hong Deok-young (1948–1954)
Lee Se-yeon (1966–1973)
Cho Byung-deuk (1979–1989)
Lee Woon-jae (1994–2010)
Kim Byung-ji (1995–2008)

Midfielders

Kim Yong-sik (1948–1950)
Huh Jung-moo (1974–1986)
Lee Young-moo (1975–1981)
Cho Kwang-rae (1977–1986)
Park Chang-sun (1979–1986)
Seo Jung-won (1990–2001)
Yoo Sang-chul (1994–2005)
Kim Nam-il (1998–2013)
Park Ji-sung (2000–2011)

Defenders

Kim Jung-nam (1964–1973)
Kim Ho (1966–1972)
Park Kyung-hoon (1981–1990)
Hong Myung-bo (1990–2002)
Kim Tae-young (1992–2004)
Lee Young-pyo (1999–2011)

Forwards

Lee Hoe-taik (1966–1977)
Cha Bum-kun (1972–1986)
Choi Soon-ho (1980–1991)
Kim Joo-sung (1985–1996)
Hwang Sun-hong (1988–2002)
Ahn Jung-hwan (1997–2010)
Son Heung-min (2010–present)

Honours

FIFA World Cup

Fourth place: 2002

AFC Asian Cup

Winners: 1956, 1960

Runners-up: 1972, 1980, 1988, 2015

Third place: 1964, 2000, 2007, 2011

Asian Games

Gold medal: 1970, 1978, 1986

Silver medal: 1954, 1958, 1962

Bronze medal: 1990

Fourth place: 1994

CONCACAF Gold Cup