K-League expert Hong Myung-bo's first member is hereAt the inaugural press conference, Hong said, "I thought I picked the best member during the Brazil World Cup. However, the number of players I knew was narrow, and after all, I had nothing to say even if people call it soccer." However, Hong defended himself by saying, "It's different now. I've been in the K-League for a long time, and I think I know the K-League better than anyone else."
Then came the first national soccer team Hong Myung-bo. Four players, including "Young Gun" Yang Min-hyuk Gangwon FC, who dominated the K-League 1 at age 18, were invited by Hong Myung-bo, the new coach of the Korean national soccer team, to wear the national flag for the first time. Hong announced the list of 26 players who will play in two consecutive A-match games in September at the Korea Football Center in central Seoul on Wednesday morning.
While there has been no significant change, some of the new faces of the K-League stand out. The player who stands out the most is Yang Min-hyuk. Yang, who debuted on the stage, is a flanker who has displayed outstanding performance by tying for seventh in attack points 13 points in the league. Notably, he surprised everyone by confirming his joining of Tottenham and booking a place in the English Premier League at the youngest age in history as a Korean player. Yang will meet his senior Son Heung-min in the national team before joining Tottenham officially in January next year.
Having played in three matches for the U-17 national team, Hwang earned the honor of being selected for the A team for the first time at age 27. Hwang is playing as a right fullback this season, but he is a multiplayer who can also handle central midfielder and side attack. Other players, defenders Lee Han-bum Mit Willan and Choi Woo-jin Incheon have been selected for the first time in their careers.
Coach Hong said, "Choi Woo-jin is a player I've seen while playing in K-League games. I watched two games in Incheon, and he played soccer very accurately from the left side of the four-back. He is still 20 years old, so he lacks in everything, including physicality, but he was a very interesting player. Both sides of positions are a concern for Korean soccer. I think you know how young players grow. I won't say Hwang Mun-ki. The team called Gangwon is on top, and his performance is very good. The player who plays the most role in it is Hwang Mun-ki. "When I observed Gangwon's three games, Hwang Mun-ki was a player who showed consistent overall condition and performance," he said.
The national team will convene at Goyang Stadium on May 2 to prepare for the match against Palestine. They will play the first and second rounds of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. The national team will play the first round against the Palestinians at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on May 5 and the second round against Oman at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat, Oman on May 10 at 11 p.m. Korean time.
Existing players from overseas leagues including Son Heung-min Tottenham, Hwang Hee-chan Wolverhampton, Lee Kang-in PSG, and Kim Min-jae Munich all easily joined the national team. The captain of the national team continues to be Son Heung-min.
Coach Hong said, "The most important issue in this selection is that the team has made some changes to the stable operation that the national team has been doing," adding, "We will run the team with stable and future-oriented players."