Director Hong Myung-bo communicates with Son Heung-min and delivers that there is no problem digesting the game → Kim Min-jae has a high sense of duty, but he cannot play, so he is excluded
May 26, 2025
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Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean national football team, clarified the reason for the call-up of Son Heung-min, who had recently drawn attention due to his injury.
The South Korean national soccer team A will play in Group B 9-10 in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. South Korea will play its ninth match against Iraq in Basra, Iraq, on June 6 and Kuwait in its 10th match at Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 10.
In the third qualifying round, tickets to the finals will be given to the second place in each group. South Korea is leading the group with four wins and four draws and 16 points in the previous eight games, beating second-place Jordan (13 points) and third-place Iraq (12 points). Just by drawing in the ninth match against Iraq, he can confirm his progress to the finals. In this case, South Korea will play in the World Cup finals for the 11th time in a row and the 12th time ever.
It is superior to South Korea in terms of objective power. Korea, ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, is higher than Iraq (59th) and Kuwait (134th). South Korea and Iraq have won 10 games, 12 draws and two losses in their previous 24 games. In October last year, South Korea also won the match 3-2. It also has an advantage with 13 wins, 4 draws, and 8 losses against Kuwait. Kuwait also defeated 3-1 in a showdown in November last year.
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Hong said, `This match against Iraq could be the most important match. The player was selected in consideration of everything, including the weather and physical burden. The coach team selected the performance and good form by prioritizing each position. This period was difficult because there were many players who took a break after the league in Europe. Bae Joon-ho, Yang Min-hyuk and Um Ji-sung did not play for about a month after the game on the 3rd. I considered the performance aspect. He consistently selected it with the idea of the future of Korean soccer, but he was inevitably not selected this time. On the other hand, players such as Jeon Jin-woo and Kim Jin-kyu are maintaining good form in the league. When I thought about what was needed at this point, I thought that the opportunity should go to the prepared players, so I selected it."
Hong made the best choice. Among the three European leagues, Kim Min-jae, who is in desperate need of rest in the aftermath of his injury, was excluded. Coach Hong also included Kim Min-jae on the list in the A-match in March, but he replaced Kim Joo-sung in the aftermath of the injury. Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in were listed. Son Heung-min is known to have shown a strong will to join the A-match list in June, although there is an injury aftermath. Lee Kang-in also had a difficult time in his team after leaving the A-match in March due to an injury, but he got a chance to play again on the national team list.
Coach Hong said "Kim Min-jae was not selected, but he constantly communicated and observed." Kim Min-jae was also judged to be unable to play in this game, so he was not selected. "He is a player with a sense of responsibility and mission, but I excluded him from this selection because I thought he had enough opportunities in the future." As for Son Heung-min, who was injured, "We communicated after the winning game." It was called because he said there was no big problem with playing the game. We will be able to move in consideration of the situation and condition of the game."
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The national team is scheduled to compete in the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship in July. Since it is a tournament without European leagues, attention is expected to be paid to whether K-League players such as Jeon Jin-woo and Kim Jin-kyu and Park Jin-seop, who will join the national team and work together, will perform.
Lee Han-beom, who has recently been given a chance to start in Meat Willan, has also been on the national team list since September last year and is once again looking for an opportunity to make his A-team debut. At that time, Lee Han-beom was on the list but failed to make his debut. Kim Min-jae is out, so we can fully expect him to play. In addition, Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic), who returned to the national team in the A-match in March, and Cho Hyun-taek and Kim Dong-heon (Kimcheon Sangmu), who experienced their first selection in the A-match in March, were also included in the A-match list in June.
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-background of selection.
▶This Iraq match could be the most important match. The player was selected in consideration of everything, including the weather and physical burden. The coach team selected the performance and good form by prioritizing each position. This period was difficult because there were many players who took a break after the league in Europe. Bae Joon-ho, Yang Min-hyuk and Um Ji-sung did not play for about a month after the game on the 3rd. I considered the performance aspect. He consistently selected it with the idea of the future of Korean soccer, but he was inevitably not selected this time. On the other hand, players such as Jeon Jin-woo and Kim Jin-kyu are maintaining good form in the league. When I thought about what was needed at this point, I selected it because I thought the opportunity should go to the prepared players.
▶ Kim Min-jae was not selected, but he constantly communicated and observed. Kim Min-jae was also judged to be unable to play in this game, so he was not selected. He is a player with a sense of responsibility and mission, but he was excluded from this selection because he thought he had enough opportunities in the future.
-A way to break the opponent's close defense.
▶There is a way to break the dense defense. However, it is a matter of time. I felt a lack of it, and I am preparing a supplementary method. It is not yet clear what kind of game will be played. However, it is important to maintain the model we have done. Since there is not much time to be together with the players at the training ground, there will be time to prepare and share videos as well. I think it's something to overcome.
-Did you have any concerns about selecting Son Heung-min, who missed the final league match after winning the championship.
▶ We communicated after the winning game. It was called because he said there was no big problem with playing the game. It's not something I'm going to be involved in about the elements outside the game. It will be able to move in consideration of the situation or condition of the game.
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The time to play is very important for ▶ athletes. However, the national team should look beyond that. At this point, the overall role that could be played was combined and judged. Of course, it would be easy if there was a rule that you had to play for more than a few hours to select, and you could not select for less than a few hours. It's a difficult time for those players as well, and we're going to be able to play a role because it's an important time for away games.
-The background of selecting Jeon Jin-woo.
▶He has the most points in the K-League. I felt confident not only in scoring but also in playing. At the beginning of the season, there were many cases of one-on-one plays on the side. These days, I think I'm good at playing in my pocket, too. Since it is similar to how the national team does it, I expect that the national team will do well without any major problems. I think having strong confidence can energize the team.
-The reason why resident regulation was excluded.
▶I didn't take it out because it wasn't good. He continues to score in his own way. However, I think we need a speed aspect when we grasp the weaknesses of the away game opponent this time. Along with Oh Hyun-kyu and Oh Se-hoon, Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan can also be used for the position, so they did not select the players this time because they judged the balance and combination of player selection.
-How do you feel as a coach and a senior after seeing Son Heung-min win the championship.
▶My personal performance was the best for a long time, but I'm very happy to win a big European tournament by playing the captain role in the team. We should be proud, too. The most rewarding way for a player to play a long season is for the team to become champions. Congratulations to Tottenham and Son Heung-min, and I hope these things will continue well in the national team.
-What kind of plans are you drawing at a year before the North Korea-China World Cup.
▶I have enough plans in my head, but my entry has not been decided yet. This game is very important and clearly motivated to advance to the finals. I think it's okay to say it after we achieve our goal of advancing to the World Cup finals. I will focus on this game and get good results.
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▶The absence of European players and the inclusion of K-League players did not take away the energy. I didn't think European players who took a break were better than K-League players right now. It's not easy for a player who hasn't played in a month to go to an important game. I had this experience in June last year. I made this decision after carefully grasping my experience at the time. We considered the future of the Korean national team in the long run. These days, players have good abilities, are scouted in Europe, and are in good football condition. But we are the ones who play team sports. I don't think everyone knows what team sports need, even if I don't tell them. I always think it's important to prioritize. You shouldn't focus on talent and cover up what's important to team sports. If you have talent, you become a team that is not cohesive and you do not trust each other. I don't think it's possible for such a team to go up.
▶There are times when players need a sense of duty as a national team. I don't want to talk about patriotism like I used to. However, it is important to have a mindset when you are selected for the national team in Korea. In the process of talking to the players this time, some players are desperate, but there seem to be some cases where they are not. I think it is important to be a strong team by combining talents well with what is important in team sports. There are several players in the world's best clubs, but how strong the team becomes is another matter. For me, this is my future homework. I think the national team will be able to find its old self only if they make those parts well. This is what I felt over the past year. I think we need to develop this part.
-What are your plans to select three members of the national team.
▶The combination of Hwang In-beom and Park Yong-woo continued to play. There are also accumulated warnings from players. Won Doo-jae and Park Jin-seop have different styles, but they will also consider which player they will use depending on the situation. It was judged that Kim Jin-kyu was a competitive player in the league. I've been watching since a long time ago, and there were moments of stagnation, but now I'm showing good performance in the team. I think it will take a lot of competition. The national team is a place of competition. I thought I needed competitiveness in the third term now, so I decided on the players on the list.
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▶It cannot be said that it is 100% complete. There is a regret that we did not produce results in March, but it is positive that we spend time together little by little. It is difficult to predict what kind of soccer he will play when he goes to the World Cup and how far he can go. There are schedules and methods based on past experiences, but I think they are still a little lacking. It should be a team that develops little by little every day. Coaches should also study development in their own way. If players are included in the candidate group, they should have a passion to play well and be selected for the national team. It will be important for many players to consistently show good performances until this point next year.
-How do you see the variables of the Iraq expedition.
▶Iraq is a strong team at home. We went on the road and didn't lose to the Middle East team, either, and we got results. I am very grateful that the association has helped me to use chartered flights. The weather is going to be very hot. You have to be very good at the physical and replacement timing. It is also important to deal with the economic situation well. I don't have much time to talk about this in general, but I will make good use of my time. In Iraq, the coach has changed, and it is difficult to predict how to let go of the players, so we need to prepare well for that.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
