The Republic of Korea is one of the most consistent teams in Asia and has qualified for every World Cup since 1986. Manager Hong Myung-bo’s side relies on intense team play and boasts one of Asia’s best attacking players, Son Heung-min, in its ranks. The 2002 semi-final remains their historic highlight – they are aiming to go far again in 2026.

Manager Hong Myung-bo has named three goalkeepers for the Taeguk Warriors: Jo Hyeon-woo, Kim Seung-gyu and Song Bum-keun. All three play – or most recently played – in the K League 1 or in Japan, which underlines this generation’s strong roots in Asian club football.

Jo Hyeon-woo, aged 34, is quite simply the best goalkeeper South Korea has ever produced. Since his breakthrough at Daegu FC in 2017, he has been named in the K League Best 11 eight times in a row and became the first goalkeeper in sixteen years to be voted the league’s MVP. He has been with Ulsan HD since 2020, winning the K League 1 three times in a row (2022, 2023, 2024) as well as the 2020 AFC Champions League. Hong Myung-bo himself – now the national team manager – once described him as the best goalkeeper in Asia. At club level, his younger teammates simply describe him as an unrivalled role model.

Internationally, he represents South Korea with ease: he is the clear number one and heads into his first World Cup tournament as the most reliable last line of defence.

Kim Seung-gyu, aged 35, is the most experienced of the three goalkeepers at international level, having made over 65 international appearances. His career has taken him through the K League, the Japanese J1 League (Vissel Kobe, Kashiwa Reysol), three seasons in Saudi Arabia with Al-Shabab and, since the summer of 2025, to FC Tokyo. He stood between the posts at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and is therefore the only one of the trio with genuine World Cup experience. At 35, he is clearly the second choice behind Jo, but brings precisely the kind of international tournament experience that is invaluable when it really matters.

Song Bum-keun, aged 28 and standing at 194 cm tall, is one of the most decorated goalkeepers in Korean club football. Since making his professional debut for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in 2018, he has won the K League 1 five times, the Korean FA Cup three times and claimed gold at the 2018 Asian Games. After two seasons with Shonan Bellmare in Japan, he returned to Jeonbuk in 2025 and promptly led the club to another league title in 2025 as their first-choice goalkeeper. At international level, he has made very few appearances so far – the World Cup is his biggest tournament and a well-deserved reward for his consistent top-class performances in the K League.