Have South Korea found their new Son Heung-min?

Analysis

Tom Weber | Writer

Multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer.

South Korean football is at a major inflection point following a disastrous 2026 World Cup.

Controversial head coach Hong Myung-bo has stepped down as head coach of the national team after the Taegeuk Warriors crashed out in the World Cup group stage following a shock 1-0 loss to South Africa.

The process that led to Hong's return in 2024 and the general running of the Korean FA is now the subject of a formal investigation. Once the tournament exit was confirmed, the president of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, immediately called for an inquest.

To say that the fallout from the World Cup has been massive would be an understatement. And yet amid all of the chaos, the domestic K League 1 has resumed play in what is shaping up to be a special season.

Ahead of the return to play, a major reform was enacted in order to improve the quality of the matchday experience, particularly for travelling supporters. The most notable change is that away fans will be allocated a larger number of seats.

South Korea's next great talent?

Somewhat surprisingly, FC Seoul look a good bet to end the two Hyundai clubs' decade-long duopoly on the K League title. Since the 2017 season, the national championship has been won exclusively by Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (six titles) and Ulsan HD (three titles).

The last non-Hyundai-owned club to win the K League? Seoul in 2016. The capital club are currently six points clear of Jeonbuk in second and have yet to play this weekend.

Over the past year, Seoul have moved on from ageing former Premier League stars Ki Sung-yueng and Jesse Lingard, and it has paid dividends. After a mid-table finish last year, they are now dominating the K League.

On Saturday, though, it was reigning champions Jeonbuk who stole the show after leapfrogging Ulsan and Pohang, courtesy of a controversial 3--1 win over the former in the Hyundai Derby.

The first goal came about in very contentious fashion after the referee and Darijan Bojanic clattered into each other, which prevented the Ulsan star from having a clear shot on goal. Jeonbuk took control of the ball, sprang a counter-attack and scored through Kim Jin-kyu.

Former Barcelona prospect Lee Seung-woo doubled the lead with a delightful curled shot from the edge of the box, and Kim Ye-geon put the game to bed in the 79th minute. Yago Cariello's late goal was not enough for Ulsan to mount a successful comeback.

Naturally, the main talking point was the incident with Bojanic, given that the referee could have elected to stop play after the collision but chose not to. Ironically, the official again collided with a player late in the second half, though it did not have the same consequences as the first clash.

Apart from the refereeing controversy, the game was notable for Kim Ye-geon's goal. His strike, a lovely low-driven left-footed finish from outside the box after winning the ball off Thomas Oude Kotte, was his first in senior football - in just his second game.

The 17-year-old made his first-team debut for Jeonbuk last weekend in a 2-1 loss to Gangwon, which generated considerable hype. The teenager has made 15 appearances for South Korea's U17s and is regarded as a huge talent.

He showed great tenacity to dispossess Oude Kotte, but defending is not his strong suit. Kim is a creative attacker who can play as a No.10 or a winger. He is not the most prolific in front of goal, but he is an incredibly dangerous dribbler with a low centre of gravity.

Kim is a natural talent. After stealing the show with a mazy run past several Gangwon defenders on the right flank last week, he said: "It wasn't a play I had prepared in advance, but something that came out instinctively."

The 17-year-old has made the step up to the senior level look easy. In fact, he claims that playing in front of a large crowd is only making him better. “It felt really refreshing," he said of his debut last week.

"I felt proud, and it was fun. It felt more meaningful because of the process of getting to where I am now. Since there are many more spectators than when I was on Team N [Jeonbuk's reserves], I actually gained more confidence."

Confidence clearly isn't an issue for the teenager. Having played all of five minutes of senior football, he declared: "After showing good performances for Jeonbuk, I would like to move to Europe as well if the opportunity arises."

If he continues playing as he has so far in his first two appearances, a move to Europe will be inevitable. Having talents like Kim come through and get senior minutes will be reassuring for a country that is currently doing a lot of soul-searching.

The future of the national team is uncertain. South Korea's greatest-ever player, Son Heung-min, is coming towards the end of his career. He is enduring a very difficult season at LAFC, and his lack of form was evident at the World Cup.

The captain of the Taegeuk Warriors seems to be keen to keep playing for his country, but he will eventually have to pass the torch. Atletico Madrid-bound Lee Kang-in is Son's heir-apparent in the medium term.

The future of the South Korean national team could belong to Kim Ye-geon. There's still a long way to go for the teenage prodigy, but remember the name. This is only just the start.

Written by

Tom Weber | Writer

Tom Weber is an experienced, multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer as part of his freelance work for FootballTransfers.

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