South Korea national football team

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 the Royal Navy 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 for 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 end 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]

In 1954, South Korea entered FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time, and qualified for the 1954 FIFA World Cup by beating Japan 7–3 on aggregate.[9] South Korea were only the second Asian team to compete at a World Cup after the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), and the first fully-independent Asian nation to do so. South Korea lost their only two games by heavy margins: 9–0 against Hungary (the joint-heaviest defeat in World Cup history) and 7–0 against Turkey. Their third scheduled game, 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.

Despite this poor performance, South Korea successfully rallied by winning the inaugural AFC Asian Cup in 1956.[11] They hosted the next edition in 1960 and successfully retained the title, beating South Vietnam, Israel, and Republic of China in the process.[12] However, the South Korean players received fake medals, instead of the gold medals they had been promised, and returned them to the KFA.[13] The KFA promised to give them real medals, but this did not occur until 2019. South Korea have not won the AFC Asian Cup since 1960, something that has thus been attributed to the "curse of the fake gold medals."[14]

In 1965, the South Korean government was hesitant to play football matches against North Korea and thus withdrew from the 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification to avoid possibly playing the northern neighbors. Kim Yong-sik, the KFA vice-president at that time, had evaluated North Korea as a world class team.[15] This would be proven true, as the North Koreans advanced to the quarter-finals at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. In March 1967, the South Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) founded Yangzee FC, collecting famous footballers in South Korea to train them intensively.[16] Yangzee players received benefits like exemption from military service, long-term overseas training and high salaries in return for intensive training.[16] At the 1968 Summer Olympics qualification, South Korea was eliminated by goal difference although their points were tied with Japan, the group winners.[17] They also participated in the 1969 Asian Club Championship, finishing as runners-up.[18] However, South Korea failed to qualify for the 1970 FIFA World Cup despite governmental support, and Yangzee was losing support as Kim Hyong-uk, the director of KCIA and supporter of the club, was dismissed from his post, and tensions between South and North Korea were beginning to subside.[16] Yangzee was eventually dissolved in March 1970 without ever having played against North Korea, but players achieved a good result by winning the 1970 Asian Games.[19]

In 1986, South Korea won the East Asian tournament of the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification including two victories against Japan in the final round, and was able to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1954. After one of the greatest forwards of German Bundesliga at that time, Cha Bum-kun,[22][23] joined the existing winning team, the South Korean squad for the 1986 FIFA World Cup was evaluated as the golden generation in their country.[24] 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 outside 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 including the decision to award a penalty to Italy.[25][26] South Korea redeemed their failure of World Cup success with a gold at the 1986 Asian Games.[27]

In 1997, Cha Bum-kun became the head coach going into the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification. South Korea consecutively won four early qualifiers against Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Japan and the 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 scored a deflected free kick for the opening goal, but was then sent off only three minutes after for an ill-advised tackle.[28] South Korea was then thoroughly outclassed by the Netherlands, managed by Guus Hiddink, losing 5–0 in Marseille. Cha was sacked in the middle of the group stage after the loss to the Netherlands. The only South Korean player to be praised from the match was the goalkeeper Kim Byung-ji,[29] who conceded five of the Netherlands' 17 shots on target.[30] The team then managed a 1–1 draw against Belgium.

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.[31] The KFA promised him to ensure long-term training camps and authority about management of coaching staff.[32] 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", which means five to nothing in Korean, when South Korea lost 5–0 again in the friendly match against Czech Republic after the Confederations Cup.[33] At the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, South Korea finished in fourth place with two draws and three losses without a win. However, they showed their improvement in friendly matches against European teams just before the World Cup, finishing the preparation for the tournament successfully.[34][35][36]

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.[38]

Seoul Plaza during the 2002 World Cup

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 disallowed by the referees.[39][40] 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.[41] 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.

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

In 2008, South Korea chose Huh Jung-moo as their manager, and Park Ji-sung as the next captain. Under Huh and Park, the South Korean team was undefeated for 27 consecutive games in 2009.[42] 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 the 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 4–1 defeat, 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.

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.[43] 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.[44]

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.[45] 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.[46] 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.[47] The match is also called the "Miracle of Kazan" in South Korea although they dropped out of the tournament.[48]

The South Korea national football team has been known or nicknamed as the Taegeuk Warriors (Korean: 태극전사) and the Tigers of Asia (Korean: 아시아의 호랑이).[49][50]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Korea national football team kits.

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.[51] On 5 February 2020, the KFA announced a new, more simplistic logo.[52] The emblem retained the tiger, albeit in a more minimalist design, enclosed in a rectangular frame.[52] Red, blue and white, South Korea's traditional colors, have been maintained in the new logo.[52]

The South Korea national team played their first home match at the Dongdaemun Stadium on 21 April 1956. The match was a qualifier for the 1956 AFC Asian Cup against the Philippines.[62] They currently play their home matches at several stadiums, which are also used by K League clubs.

South Korea's greatest rival is Japan. This rivalry is an extension of a competitive rivalry between the two nations that goes beyond football. Some matches in the past have been tainted with controversy. South Korea leads the all-time series with 42 wins, 23 draws and 15 losses.[63]

A rivalry has also developed with Iran.[64] The two nations have played against each other officially since 1958, totalling 33 matches as of March 2022, including eleven World Cup qualifiers. South Korea and Iran were among the strongest Asian national 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, 10 draws and 10 losses.[63]

Another major rival is Australia, and is also one of the most followed rivalries in Asia. South Korea trails behind Australia with 8 wins, 11 draws and 9 defeats. In major competitions, South Korea won only two official matches against Australia, and also lost in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup Final.[65]

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

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.[38] Their most common chant is "Dae-Han-Min-Guk" (Korean: "대~한민국"; literally Republic of Korea or "Great Korea"), followed by five claps.[66] The FIFA Fan Fest was introduced at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in South Korea.

As of 24 March 2020[72]

Position	Name
Manager	Paulo Bento
Assistant coaches	Sérgio Costa
	Filipe Coelho
	Michael Kim
	Choi Tae-uk
Fitness coach	Pedro Pereira
Goalkeeping coach	Vítor Silvestre

As of 29 March 2022[73][74]

A total of 51 managers managed South Korea during 80 appointments.

No.	Manager	From	To	P	W	D	L	Win %	Competition
1	Park Chung-hwi[73][75]	June 1948	June 1948	0	0	0	0	!—	—
2	Lee Young-min	June 1948	August 1948	2	1	0	1	050.00	1948 Summer Olympics quarter-finals
3	Lee Yoo-hyung	December 1948	February 1949	2	1	1	0	050.00	—
4	Kim Hwa-jip	March 1950	April 1950	3	2	0	1	066.67	—
5	Kim Yong-sik	April 1953	May 1953	5	3	1	1	060.00	—
6	Bae Jong-ho	February 1954	May 1954	6	2	3	1	033.33	1954 Asian Games silver medal
7	Kim Yong-sik	May 1954	June 1954	2	0	0	2	000.00	1954 FIFA World Cup group stage
8	Chu Yung-kwang	February 1956	June 1956	6	5	0	1	083.33	—
9	Kim Sung-gan	August 1956	October 1956	4	3	1	0	075.00	1956 AFC Asian Cup champion
10	Kim Kyu-hwan	January 1958	March 1958	2	0	1	1	000.00	—
11	Min Byung-dae	April 1958	June 1958	5	4	0	1	080.00	1958 Asian Games silver medal
12	Chung Nam-sik	July 1959	September 1959	9	6	2	1	066.67	—
13	Kim Yong-sik	November 1959	December 1959	2	1	0	1	050.00	—
14	Min Byung-dae	February 1960	April 1960	2	1	0	1	050.00	—
15	Chu Yung-kwang	July 1960	September 1960	5	2	3	0	040.00	—
16	Kim Yong-sik	September 1960	June 1961	5	5	0	0	100.00	1960 AFC Asian Cup champion
17	Kim Kyu-hwan	September 1961	March 1962	5	1	1	3	020.00	—
18	Min Byung-dae	May 1962	June 1962	0	0	0	0	!—	—
19	Kim Kyu-hwan	July 1962	October 1962	7	6	0	1	085.71	1962 Asian Games silver medal
20	Park Kyu-chung	July 1963	September 1963	7	3	2	2	042.86	—
21	Min Byung-dae	October 1963	December 1963	2	1	0	1	050.00	—
22	Kim Kyu-hwan[note 1]	May 1964	October 1964	6	3	1	2	050.00	1964 Summer Olympics group stage
—	Park Il-kap[note 2]	May 1964	June 1964	3	1	0	2	033.33	1964 AFC Asian Cup third place
23	Chung Nam-sik	July 1965	August 1965	6	3	2	1	050.00	—
24	Han Chang-wha	July 1966	September 1966	5	3	0	2	060.00	—
25	An Jong-soo	September 1966	December 1966	2	0	0	2	000.00	1966 Asian Games first group stage
26	Jang Kyung-hwan	May 1967	October 1967	15	10	3	2	066.67	—
27	Park Il-kap	October 1967	August 1968	11	8	0	3	072.73	—
28	Kim Yong-sik	September 1969	October 1969	4	1	2	1	025.00	—
29	Kang Jun-young	November 1969	November 1969	5	4	1	0	080.00	—
30	Han Hong-ki	13 February 1970	6 October 1971	32	20	8	4	062.50	1970 Asian Games gold medal
31	Hong Deok-young	1 November 1971	24 November 1971	4	1	3	0	025.00	—
32	Park Byung-suk	7 December 1971	15 June 1972	5	1	2	2	020.00	1972 AFC Asian Cup runner-up
33	Ham Heung-chul	12 June 1972	20 December 1972	19	11	5	3	057.89	—
34	Min Byung-dae	21 December 1972	20 November 1973	13	7	4	2	053.85	—
35	Moon Jung-sik	20 November 1973	25 December 1973	4	3	1	0	075.00	—
36	Choi Yung-keun	31 January 1974	28 October 1974	8	2	1	5	025.00	1974 Asian Games second group stage
37	Ham Heung-chul	29 October 1974	13 May 1976	35	25	5	5	071.43	—
38	Moon Jung-sik	14 May 1976	2 January 1977	14	8	4	2	057.14	—
39	Choi Chung-min	3 January 1977	16 September 1977	21	14	6	1	066.67	—
40	Kim Jung-nam	17 September 1977	18 December 1977	5	2	3	0	040.00	—
41	Ham Heung-chul	2 March 1978	28 March 1979	21	18	2	1	085.71	1978 Asian Games gold medal
42	Jang Kyung-hwan	29 March 1979	3 May 1980	14	11	1	2	078.57	—
43	Kim Jung-nam	3 May 1980	20 June 1982	30	17	8	5	056.67	1980 AFC Asian Cup runner-up
44	Choi Eun-taek	21 June 1982	28 January 1983	3	1	0	2	033.33	1982 Asian Games group stage
45	Cho Yoon-ok	29 January 1983	22 August 1983	9	5	3	1	055.56	—
46	Park Jong-hwan	23 August 1983	2 July 1984	12	6	3	3	050.00	—
47	Moon Jung-sik	3 July 1984	16 March 1985	12	5	3	4	041.67	1984 AFC Asian Cup group stage
48	Kim Jung-nam	17 March 1985	19 November 1986	23	14	3	6	060.87	1986 FIFA World Cup group stage 1986 Asian Games gold medal
49	Park Jong-hwan	20 November 1986	30 June 1988	7	4	3	0	057.14	—
50	Kim Jung-nam[note 3]	6 July 1988	5 November 1988	2	1	1	0	050.00	1988 Summer Olympics group stage
51	Lee Hoe-taik	5 November 1988	30 June 1990	29	17	6	6	058.62	1988 AFC Asian Cup runner-up 1990 FIFA World Cup group stage
52	Lee Cha-man	3 July 1990	8 August 1990	4	3	1	0	075.00	—
53	Park Jong-hwan	9 August 1990	23 October 1990	10	8	0	2	080.00	1990 Asian Games third place
54	Ko Jae-wook	22 May 1991	27 July 1991	6	3	3	0	050.00	—
55	Kim Ho	8 July 1992	30 June 1994	37	14	15	8	037.84	1994 FIFA World Cup group stage
56	Anatoliy Byshovets	24 July 1994	26 February 1995	14	6	4	4	042.86	1994 Asian Games fourth place
57	Park Jong-hwan	26 April 1995	31 July 1995	2	1	0	1	050.00	—
58	Huh Jung-moo (caretaker)	1 August 1995	12 August 1995	1	0	0	1	000.00	—
59	Jung Byung-tak (caretaker)	16 September 1995	30 September 1995	0	0	0	0	!—	—
60	Ko Jae-wook (caretaker)	20 October 1995	31 October 1995	1	0	1	0	000.00	—
61	Park Jong-hwan	15 February 1996	7 January 1997	16	8	3	5	050.00	1996 AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals
62	Cha Bum-kun	8 January 1997	21 June 1998	40	21	11	8	052.50	1998 FIFA World Cup group stage
63	Kim Pyung-seok (caretaker)	22 June 1998	25 June 1998	1	0	1	0	000.00	1998 FIFA World Cup group stage
64	Huh Jung-moo	14 October 1998	13 November 2000	33	17	11	5	051.52	1998 Asian Games quarter-finals 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage 2000 AFC Asian Cup third place
65	Park Hang-seo (caretaker)	10 December 2000	20 December 2000	1	0	1	0	000.00	—
66	Guus Hiddink	1 January 2001	30 June 2002	37	14	12	11	037.84	2001 FIFA Confederations Cup group stage 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup fourth place 2002 FIFA World Cup fourth place
67	Kim Ho-kon (caretaker)	3 November 2002	20 November 2002	1	0	0	1	000.00	—
68	Humberto Coelho	3 February 2003	19 April 2004	18	9	3	6	050.00	2003 EAFF Championship champion
69	Park Sung-hwa (caretaker)	20 April 2004	15 June 2004	4	2	1	1	050.00	—
70	Jo Bonfrère	24 June 2004	23 August 2005	24	10	8	6	041.67	2004 AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals 2005 EAFF Championship fourth place
71	Dick Advocaat	1 October 2005	30 June 2006	19	9	5	5	047.37	2006 FIFA World Cup group stage
72	Pim Verbeek	1 July 2006	3 August 2007	17	6	6	5	035.29	2007 AFC Asian Cup third place
73	Huh Jung-moo	1 January 2008	30 June 2010	44	22	14	8	050.00	2008 EAFF Championship champion 2010 EAFF Championship runner-up 2010 FIFA World Cup round of 16
74	Cho Kwang-rae	21 July 2010	8 December 2011	20	12	5	3	060.00	2011 AFC Asian Cup third place
75	Choi Kang-hee	21 December 2011	19 June 2013	14	7	2	5	050.00	—
76	Hong Myung-bo	24 June 2013	10 July 2014	19	5	4	10	026.32	2013 EAFF Championship third place 2014 FIFA World Cup group stage
77	Shin Tae-yong (caretaker)	2 September 2014	8 September 2014	2	1	0	1	050.00	—
78	Uli Stielike[note 4]	24 September 2014	15 June 2017	38	26	5	7	068.42	2015 AFC Asian Cup runner-up 2015 EAFF Championship champion
79	Shin Tae-yong	4 July 2017	31 July 2018	21	7	6	8	033.33	2017 EAFF Championship champion 2018 FIFA World Cup group stage
80	Paulo Bento	22 August 2018	present	43	28	10	5	065.12	2019 AFC Asian Cup quarter-finals 2019 EAFF Championship champion

The following players were called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Iran and United Arab Emirates on 24 and 29 March 2022, respectively.[77][78]

Caps and goals updated as of 29 March 2022, after the match against United Arab Emirates.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Kim Seung-gyu	(1990-09-30) 30 September 1990	61	0	Kashiwa Reysol
12	1GK	Kim Dong-jun	(1994-12-19) 19 December 1994	0	0	Jeju United
21	1GK	Jo Hyeon-woo	(1991-09-25) 25 September 1991	20	0	Ulsan Hyundai
	1GK	Song Bum-keun	(1997-10-15) 15 October 1997	0	0	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
2	2DF	Yoon Jong-gyu	(1998-03-20) 20 March 1998	1	0	FC Seoul
3	2DF	Kim Jin-su	(1992-06-13) 13 June 1992	55	2	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
4	2DF	Kim Min-jae	(1996-11-15) 15 November 1996	42	3	Fenerbahçe
15	2DF	Park Ji-soo	(1994-06-13) 13 June 1994	11	0	Gimcheon Sangmu
18	2DF	Lee Jae-ik	(1999-05-21) 21 May 1999	0	0	Seoul E-Land
19	2DF	Kim Young-gwon	(1990-02-27) 27 February 1990	91	5	Ulsan Hyundai
20	2DF	Kwon Kyung-won	(1992-01-31) 31 January 1992	20	2	Gamba Osaka
23	2DF	Kim Tae-hwan	(1989-07-24) 24 July 1989	17	0	Ulsan Hyundai
5	3MF	Jung Woo-young	(1989-12-14) 14 December 1989	61	3	Al-Sadd
7	3MF	Son Heung-min (captain)	(1992-07-08) 8 July 1992	98	31	Tottenham Hotspur
8	3MF	Nam Tae-hee	(1991-07-03) 3 July 1991	54	7	Al-Duhail
9	3MF	Lee Dong-jun	(1997-02-01) 1 February 1997	4	0	Hertha BSC
10	3MF	Lee Jae-sung	(1992-08-10) 10 August 1992	63	9	Mainz 05
11	3MF	Hwang Hee-chan	(1996-01-26) 26 January 1996	45	7	Wolverhampton Wanderers
22	3MF	Kwon Chang-hoon	(1994-06-30) 30 June 1994	34	10	Gimcheon Sangmu
	3MF	Song Min-kyu	(1999-09-12) 12 September 1999	9	0	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
	3MF	Ko Seung-beom	(1994-04-24) 24 April 1994	1	0	Gimcheon Sangmu
16	4FW	Hwang Ui-jo	(1992-08-28) 28 August 1992	44	14	Bordeaux
17	4FW	Cho Young-wook	(1999-02-05) 5 February 1999	2	1	FC Seoul

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
GK	Gu Sung-yun	(1994-06-27) 27 June 1994	4	0	Gimcheon Sangmu	v.  Syria, 1 February 2022
GK	Kim Jin-hyeon	(1987-07-06) 6 July 1987	16	0	Cerezo Osaka	v.  Lebanon, 13 June 2021
DF	Park Min-gyu	(1995-08-10) 10 August 1995	0	0	Suwon FC	v.  Iran, 24 March 2022 WD
DF	Lee Yong	(1986-12-24) 24 December 1986	55	0	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  Syria, 1 February 2022
DF	Kang Sang-woo	(1993-10-07) 7 October 1993	2	0	Beijing Guoan	v.  Syria, 1 February 2022
DF	Hong Chul	(1990-09-17) 17 September 1990	40	0	Daegu FC	v.  Lebanon, 27 January 2022 WD
DF	Jung Seung-hyun	(1994-04-03) 3 April 1994	9	0	Gimcheon Sangmu	v.  Moldova, 21 January 2022
DF	Choi Ji-mook	(1998-10-09) 9 October 1998	0	0	Seongnam FC	v.  Moldova, 21 January 2022
DF	Kim Moon-hwan	(1995-08-01) 1 August 1995	14	0	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  Lebanon, 7 September 2021
DF	Lee Ki-je	(1991-07-09) 9 July 1991	2	0	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	v.  Lebanon, 7 September 2021
DF	Kim Young-bin	(1991-09-20) 20 September 1991	1	0	Gangwon FC	v.  Lebanon, 13 June 2021
MF	Na Sang-ho	(1996-08-12) 12 August 1996	16	2	FC Seoul	v.  Iran, 24 March 2022 WD
MF	Paik Seung-ho	(1997-03-17) 17 March 1997	7	2	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  Iran, 24 March 2022 WD
MF	Won Du-jae	(1997-11-18) 18 November 1997	6	0	Ulsan Hyundai	v.  Iran, 24 March 2022 INJ
MF	Jeong Woo-yeong	(1999-09-20) 20 September 1999	3	1	SC Freiburg	v.  Iran, 24 March 2022 WD
MF	Kim Jin-kyu	(1997-02-24) 24 February 1997	3	2	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  Iran, 24 March 2022 WD
MF	Hwang In-beom	(1996-09-20) 20 September 1996	31	4	FC Seoul	v.  Syria, 1 February 2022
MF	Lee Dong-gyeong	(1997-09-20) 20 September 1997	7	1	Schalke 04	v.  Syria, 1 February 2022
MF	Lee Yeong-jae	(1994-09-13) 13 September 1994	3	0	Gimcheon Sangmu	v.  Moldova, 21 January 2022
MF	Eom Ji-sung	(2002-05-09) 9 May 2002	1	1	Gwangju FC	v.  Moldova, 21 January 2022
MF	Kim Dae-won	(1997-02-10) 10 February 1997	0	0	Gangwon FC	v.  Moldova, 21 January 2022
MF	Um Won-sang	(1999-01-06) 6 January 1999	2	0	Ulsan Hyundai	v.  Iraq, 16 November 2021
MF	Ju Se-jong	(1990-10-30) 30 October 1990	29	1	Gamba Osaka	v.  Lebanon, 7 September 2021
MF	Son Jun-ho	(1992-05-12) 12 May 1992	12	0	Shandong Taishan	v.  Lebanon, 7 September 2021
FW	Cho Gue-sung	(1998-01-25) 25 January 1998	9	2	Gimcheon Sangmu	v.  Iran, 24 March 2022 WD
FW	Kim Gun-hee	(1995-02-22) 22 February 1995	3	0	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	v.  Syria, 1 February 2022
FW	Kim Shin-wook	(1988-04-14) 14 April 1988	56	16	Lion City Sailors	v.  Lebanon, 13 June 2021
FW	Jeong Sang-bin	(2002-04-01) 1 April 2002	1	1	Grasshoppers	v.  Lebanon, 13 June 2021
Notes INJ = Withdrew due to injury WD = Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

The following players were inducted into the KFA Hall of Fame,[79] or were selected for the Korean Best XI of All Time in one or more surveys.[80][81]

As of 18 December 2019[82]

Cha Bum-kun is South Korea's joint-most capped player and top goalscorer with 58 goals.

As of 29 March 2022[82]

Players in bold are still active, at least at club level.

Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

Summer Olympics record											Qualification record[84]
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1900–1936	Not an IOC member
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											4	2	0	2	4	4
1964	Group stage	14th	3[lower-alpha 1]	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[lower-alpha 2]	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-alpha 3]	8	1	2	5	7	37	—		42	24	7	11	91	39