South Korea's 2023 Asian Games squad announced

Park Jin-seob, Paik Seung-ho and Seol Young-woo are the Wild Cards named by Hwang Sun-hong in his 22-man squad for the forthcoming Asian Games in China this September. Lee Kang-in is in as too are fellow overseas-based stars Park Kyu-hyun, Jeong Woo-yeong, and Hong Hyun-seok.

There are 18 players selected from K League teams with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors having the most players called up with four followed by Ulsan with two. A total of 12 are from K League 1 teams and six are from K League 2 with four currently on the books of clubs in Europe.

Manager Hwang Sun-hong was able to select players aged 24 and under, not 23, as the Asian Games have been delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Three players aged over 24 can be selected as "Wild Cards." In the 2018 Asian Games, Jo Hyeon-woo, Son Heung-min, and Hwang Ui-jo were selected by then-manager Kim Hak-bum as Korea’s Wild Cards.

When are the Asian Games?

The Asian Games get underway in September with the football tournament set to begin on the 19th and will run until October 7th. The group stage draw takes place on Thursday, 27th July.

How does this affect K League?

Players selected for the Asian Games are likely to miss the last three or four rounds of the regular K League 1 season with Round 30 due to take place on September 16th and 17th and Round 33 on October 8th. In K League 2, players are likely to miss rounds 31 to 35 should Korea make it all the way to the final.

Full Squad

Goalkeepers

Kim Jeong-hoon, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Min Seong-jun, Incheon United
Lee Gwang-yeon, Gangwon FC

Defenders

Park Kyu-hyun, Dinamo Dresden
Park Jin-seob, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (Wild Card)
Seol Young-woo, Ulsan Hyundai (Wild Card)
Lee Sang-min, Seongnam FC
Lee Jae-ik, Seoul E-Land
Lee Han-beom, FC Seoul
Choi Jun, Busan IPark
Hwang Jae-won, Daegu FC

Midfielders

Goh Young-jun, Pohang Steelers
Paik Seung-ho, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (Wild Card)
Song Min-kyu, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Um Won-sang, Ulsan Hyundai
Lee Kang-in, Paris Saint-Germain
Jeong Woo-yeong, VfB Stuttgart
Jung Ho-yeon, Gwangju FC
Cho Young-wook, Gimcheon Sangmu
Hong Hyun-seok, KAA Gent

Forwards

Bak Jae-yong, FC Anyang
An Jae-hun, Bucheon FC 1995