Expected to replace injured Kim Min-jae A-match debut ahead
Park Seung-wook, an all-round defender who started in the K3 League (3rd division) and went on to the national soccer team, is aiming to make his A-match debut.
Park Seung-wook, who joined the Korean national team led by interim coach Kim Do-hoon, will play the ‘2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup’ against Singapore at the Singapore National Stadium at 9 p.m. on the 6th (Korean time) and against China at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. on the 11th. The 5th and 6th games of Group C of the Asian region’s second qualifying round will be held.
Coach Kim, who acted as a firefighter in the absence of a formal coach, selected Bae Jun-ho (Stoke), Oh Se-hoon (Machida), Ha Chang-rae (Nagoya), Choi Jun (Seoul), Hwang In-jae (Pohang), Hwang Jae-won (Daegu) and Park Seung-wook to the national team for the first time.
With key defender Kim Min-jae (Munich) absent due to injury, Park Seung-wook competes with Kwon Gyeong-won (Suwon FC), Jo Yu-min (Sharjah), and Ha Chang-rae in the central defense area.
Park Seung-wook graduated from Ulsan Hakseong High School and Busan Dongeui University, and then began his playing career by joining Busan Transportation Corporation, a member of the unemployment soccer National League (now integrated with the K3 League) in 2019.
At the time of the ‘2021 Hana Bank FA Cup (now Korea Cup)’, he attracted attention by scoring against Gwangju FC, and entered the professional soccer K-League 1 stage by surprisingly joining Pohang Steelers that year.
After becoming a key player in Pohang, Park Seung-wook raised his stock price by helping to finish second in the ‘2021 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League (ACL)’ and win the ‘2023 Hana Bank FA Cup’. In December of last year, Park Seung-wook joined Gimcheon for military service and is playing a key role in the Gimcheon sensation this season under coach Jeong Jeong-yong. Park Seung-wook, who is originally in charge of side defense, has recently stood out as a center back and is well-received for his versatility as he can also play as a defensive midfielder. Coach Kim, who selected Park Seung-wook, said, “We mainly selected players who are in good shape in the K-League and players who can faithfully fulfill their roles at each position,” and emphasized that new players can also compete for starting positions. Park Seung-wook, who started out as a third-division player and grew into a member of the national team, is preparing to take part in the games against Singapore and China. 섯다