“Temporary Director” Kim Do-hoon’s unconventional experiment… Seven people including Bae Jun-ho and Hwang Jae-won were selected for the first time

Interim coach Kim Do-hoon, who leads the South Korean men’s national soccer team, has set up an extraordinary list of new faces in the absence of Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Cho Kyu-sung (Mitwillan) due to injury. Former coach Hwang Sun-hong’s favorite subjects, who were included in March, also boldly excluded and revealed their color.

On the 27th, head coach Kim announced 23 national team members to play in the 5th and 6th rounds of Group C of the second preliminary round of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup in Asia. Unlike former coach Hwang, who took the temporary baton in March and explained the reason for the selection through a press conference, he replaced it with a press release from the Korea Football Association. It took into account the situation in which public opinion was not good due to the delay in the appointment of the official head coach.

While the main players such as captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Hwang In-beom (Zvezda), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Hong Hyun-suk (Hent) were listed as they were, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) and Um Won-sang (Ulsan HD), who had been out of injury, returned. Bae Joon-ho, who played an active role in Stoke City in the English professional football championship (part 2), was also selected as an adult national team for the first time in his life.

A change has taken place in defensive midfielders. Jung Woo-young (Alkaline), the oldest player born in 1989, has returned for the first time in a year and three months, and Park Yong-woo (Al-Ain), who is standing tall at the top of the AFC Champions League (ALC), has also rebranded as the national team. Jung Woo-young (Suitgart), Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) and Jung Ho-yeon (Gwangju FC), who have been playing with Hwang since last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games, are all missing.

Unexpected players are also on board at the back. Hwang Jae-won (Daegu FC) and Choi Joon (FC Seoul), who played for the under-23 national team, will make their A-match debuts. Park Seung-wook (Kimcheon Sangmu), Ha Chang-rae (Nagoya), who has no experience as national team players by age, were also called in. Veteran Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Lee Myung-jae (Ulsan Hyundai), Kwon Kyung-won (Suwon FC), and Jo Yoo-min (Sharza) will fill their lack of experience. Kim Min-jae, a pillar of the national team, was excluded due to ankle injury, and fullback Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai) was excluded due to shoulder injury.

Cho’s knee surgery will be left vacant by striker Oh Se-hoon (Machida Zelvia), who is 193 centimeters tall, and top scorer Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan). The goalpost will be guarded by “Light” Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) and Song Bum-keun (Shonan Belmare). Hwang In-jae, the Pohang Steelers’ goalkeeper, was also selected for the national team for the first time. “The national team players have the ability to play hand-to-hand with new teammates quickly. We will achieve harmony between old and new through tactical training,” Kim stressed.

KBSN soccer commentator Kim Dae-gil said, “We did not select players who showed poor performance in our team. The team has a well-organized structure with a plan B in mind,” adding, “Young players should also be hired for the 2026 World Cup finals. We were given the chance to experiment with the team due to the large number of injuries, and the key is whether new resources can be incorporated into the team.” 메이저사이트

The Korean team will depart for Singapore via Incheon International Airport on May 2 without having to call up in Korea. Korea, which virtually confirmed its advance to the next round by ranking No. 1 in Group C (10 points), is expected to do its best in away matches in Singapore on May 6 and home matches against China on May 11 (Seoul World Cup Stadium).