South Korea national football team

Korea Republic

Nickname(s)	Taegeuk Warriors (태극전사) Tigers of Asia (아시아의 호랑이)
Association	Korea Football Association (KFA)
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	EAFF (East Asia)
Head coach	Hong Myung-bo
Captain	Son Heung-min
Most caps	Cha Bum-kun Hong Myung-bo (136)
Top scorer	Cha Bum-kun (58)
FIFA code	KOR
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	22 1 (24 October 2024)[1]
Highest	17 (December 1998)
Lowest	69 (November 2014 – January 2015)
First international
South Korea 5–3 Mexico  (London, England; 2 August 1948)
Biggest win
South Korea 16–0 Nepal    (Incheon, South Korea; 29 September 2003)
Biggest defeat
South Korea 0–12 Sweden  (London, England; 5 August 1948)
World Cup
Appearances	11 (first in 1954)
Best result	Fourth place (2002)
Asian Cup
Appearances	15 (first in 1956)
Best result	Champions (1956, 1960)
EAFF Championship
Appearances	9 (first in 2003)
Best result	Champions (2003, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2001)
Best result	Group stage (2001)
Medal record Men's football AFC Asian Cup 1956 Hong Kong Team 1960 South Korea Team 1972 Thailand Team 1980 Kuwait Team 1988 Qatar Team 2015 Australia Team 1964 Israel Team 2000 Lebanon Team 2007 Indonesia/Malaysia /Thailand/Vietnam Team 2011 Qatar Team Asian Games 1970 Bangkok Team 1978 Bangkok Team 1986 Seoul Team 1954 Manila Team 1958 Tokyo Team 1962 Jakarta Team 1990 Beijing Team EAFF Championship 2003 Japan Team 2008 China Team 2015 China Team 2017 Japan Team 2019 South Korea Team 2010 Japan Team 2022 Japan Team 2013 South Korea Team
Website	www.kfa.or.kr

South Korea national football team
Hangul	대한민국 축구 국가대표팀
Hanja	大韓民國 蹴球 國家代表팀
Revised Romanization	Daehan Min'guk Chukgu Gukga Daepyo Tim
McCune–Reischauer	Taehan Min'guk Ch'ukku Kukka Taep'yo T'im

The South Korea national football team (Korean: 대한민국 축구 국가대표팀; recognized as Korea Republic by FIFA^[2]) represents South Korea in men's international football and is governed by the Korea Football Association, a member of FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

South Korea has emerged as a major football power in Asia since the 1980s, having participated in ten consecutive and eleven overall FIFA World Cup tournaments, the most for any Asian country. Despite initially going through five World Cup tournaments without winning a match, South Korea became the first (and so far only) Asian team to reach the semi-finals when they co-hosted the 2002 tournament with Japan. South Korea also has won two AFC Asian Cup titles, and finished as runners-up on four occasions. Furthermore, the team won three gold medals and three silver medals at the senior Asian Games.^[3]

The team is commonly nicknamed the "Reds" by both fans and the media due to the color of their primary kit. The national team's supporting group is officially referred to as the Red Devils.^[4]

Korea (Joseon) was not introduced to the sport of association football until the late 19th century; it is often said that football in Korea dates to 1882, when the Royal Navy sailors from HMS Flying Fish played a game while their vessel was visiting the Incheon Port.^[5] Korea became a Japanese colony in 1905 and was annexed into it outright in 1910.

In 1921, the first All Joseon Football Tournament was held, and in 1928, the Joseon Football Association was organized, which created a foundation to disseminate and develop football in Korea.^[6] Korean teams participated in competitions with Japanese teams from around 1926; Joseon Football Club became a de facto national team for Koreans, and won the 1935 Emperor's Cup.^[5] Koreans also played for the Japan national team, most notably Kim Yong-sik who played for Japan at the 1936 Summer Olympics.^[7]

The Joseon FA was reorganized in 1945 as Japanese occupation ended with the end of World War II.^[5][8] Following the establishment of the South Korean state in the late 1940s, a new Korea Football Association (KFA) was founded in 1948 and joined FIFA, the international football governing body. The same year, the South Korean national team made its international debut and won 5–3 against Mexico at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London.^[5]

In 1954, South Korea entered FIFA World Cup qualification for the first time, and qualified for the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland by beating Japan 7–3 on aggregate.^[9] South Korea were only the second Asian team to compete at a World Cup after the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) in 1938, and the first fully-independent Asian nation to do so. South Korea lost their only two games by heavy margins: 9–0 against Hungary (the joint-heaviest defeat in World Cup history) and 7–0 against Turkey. Their third scheduled game, against West Germany, was never played because neither were seeded in their group, as per that tournament's rules.^[10] It would take thirty-two years before South Korea was able to participate at the World Cup finals again.

Two years later, South Korea won the inaugural AFC Asian Cup in 1956.^[11] They hosted the next edition in 1960 and successfully retained the title, beating South Vietnam, Israel, and Republic of China in the process.^[12] However, the South Korean players received fake medals, instead of the gold medals they had been promised, and returned them to the KFA.^[13] The KFA promised to give them real medals, but this did not occur until 2019. South Korea have not won the AFC Asian Cup since, something that has thus been attributed to the "curse of the fake gold medals."^[14]

In 1965, the South Korean government was hesitant to play football matches against North Korea and thus withdrew from 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification to avoid possibly playing the northern neighbors. Kim Yong-sik, the KFA vice-president at that time, had evaluated North Korea as a world-class team.^[15] This would be proven true, as the North Koreans advanced to the quarter-finals at the finals in England.

In March 1967, the South Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) founded Yangzee FC, collecting footballers in South Korea to train them intensively.^[16] Yangzee players received benefits like exemption from military service, long-term overseas training and high salaries in return for intensive training.^[16] At the 1968 Summer Olympics qualification, South Korea was eliminated by goal difference, despite being tied with Japan, the group winners, on points.^[17] They also participated in the 1969 Asian Champion Club Tournament, finishing as runners-up.^[18] However, South Korea failed to qualify for the 1970 FIFA World Cup despite governmental support, and Yangzee was losing support as Kim Hyong-uk, the director of KCIA and supporter of the club, was dismissed from his post, and tensions between South and North Korea were beginning to subside.^[16] Yangzee was eventually dissolved in March 1970 without ever having played against North Korea, but players achieved a good result by winning the 1970 Asian Games.^[19]

In 1985, South Korea won the East Asian tournament of FIFA World Cup qualification including two victories against Japan in the final round, and sealed a spot at the World Cup for the first time since 1954. After one of the greatest forwards of German Bundesliga at that time, Cha Bum-kun,^[22][23] joined the existing winning team, the South Korean squad for the 1986 FIFA World Cup was evaluated as the golden generation in their country.^[24] South Korea lost 3–1 to the eventual champion Argentina but Park Chang-sun scored the first-ever South Korean World Cup goal in the first group match. They drew 1–1 with Bulgaria and faced the defending champion Italy in the last match. They conceded Alessandro Altobelli's opening goal, but Choi Soon-ho scored the equalizer outside the penalty area. However, Altobelli's second goal was followed by Cho Kwang-rae's fatal own goal, and South Korea lost 3–2 in the match despite Huh Jung-moo pulling one back. Afterwards, South Korean newscasts and journalists criticised the referee David Socha, claiming that his judgements about situations of the game were poor including the decision to award a penalty to Italy.^[25][26] South Korea redeemed their failure of World Cup success with a gold at the 1986 Asian Games.^[27]

In 1997, Cha Bum-kun became the head coach going into FIFA World Cup qualification. South Korea consecutively won four early qualifiers against Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, and quickly solidified their position as first place of the group. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, they lost their first match against Mexico 3–1. Ha Seok-ju scored a deflected free kick for the opening goal, but was then sent off only three minutes after for an ill-advised tackle.^[28] South Korea was then thoroughly outclassed by the Netherlands, managed by Guus Hiddink, losing 5–0 in Marseille. Cha was sacked in the middle of the group stage after the loss to the Netherlands. The only South Korean player to be praised from the match was the goalkeeper Kim Byung-ji,^[29] who conceded five of the Netherlands' 17 shots on target.^[30] The team then managed a 1–1 draw against Belgium.

On 18 December 2000, the KFA named Dutch coach Guus Hiddink as the manager of the team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted in South Korea.^[32] The KFA promised him to ensure long-term training camps and authority about management of coaching staff.^[33] At the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, they lost 5–0 against France, the eventual champions, and failed to advance to the semi-finals although defeating Australia and Mexico. South Korean journalists criticized Hiddink and gave him a nickname "Oh-dae-ppang", which means five to nothing in Korean, when South Korea lost 5–0 again in the friendly match against Czech Republic after the Confederations Cup.^[34] At the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, South Korea finished in fourth place with two draws and three losses without a win. However, they showed their improvement in friendly matches against European teams just before the World Cup.^[35][36][37]

South Korea co-hosted the 2002 World Cup tournament with Japan. Having never won a game in the World Cup previously, the South Korean team achieved their first ever victory in a World Cup with a 2–0 victory against Poland when the tournament began. Their next game was against the United States and earned a 1–1 draw, with striker Ahn Jung-hwan scoring a late game equalizer. Their last game was against Portugal, who earned two red cards in the match, reducing them to nine men. Park Ji-sung scored in a 1–0 victory, allowing the South Korean team to qualify for the second round for the first time in their history. The team's success led to widespread euphoria from the South Korean public, with many people joining the Red Devils, which gained widespread attention with their passionate support of the team.^[38]

South Korea's second round opponents were Italy, who they defeated 2–1. The South Korean team was awarded an early penalty but Ahn Jung-hwan's effort was saved by Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon. Christian Vieri then scored to put Italy ahead but Seol Ki-hyeon scored an equalizer in the 88th minute, allowing the game to go through to extra time. Francesco Totti was controversially sent off for an alleged dive and Ahn redeemed his missed penalty by scoring the winner with a headed golden goal, allowing them to advance to the quarter-final.^[39] South Korea faced Spain in the quarter-finals. Spain managed to score twice in this match, but both goals were disallowed by the referees.^[40][41] The game then went to the penalty shoot-out where South Korea won 5–3, thus becoming the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals.^[42] The South Korean team's run was halted by a 1–0 loss to Germany, and their tournament ended in fourth place after a loss to Turkey 3–2 in the third-place match.

Team captain Hong Myung-bo received the Bronze Ball as the third best player of the World Cup, the first Asian footballer to receive this award.^[43] In addition, Hong was named in the team of the tournament alongside teammate Yoo Sang-chul.^[43] This level of success was unprecedented for a country that had never won a World Cup match before. They went further than any Asian team, upsetting several established European teams in the process, leading to a rise in the popularity of football in the country. Hiddink became a national hero in South Korea and was granted honorary citizenship.^[44]

In 2008, South Korea chose Huh Jung-moo as their manager, and Park Ji-sung as the next captain. Under Huh, the South Korean team was undefeated for 27 consecutive games in 2009.^[46] At the fourth round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, they recorded four wins and four draws without a loss against North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Park Ji-sung, Park Chu-young, Lee Chung-yong and Ki Sung-yueng were in charge of South Korea's attack in the qualifiers, and were evaluated as four key players in the squad at the time.^[47]

At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, they won their first game against Greece 2–0, with goals from Lee Jung-soo and Park Ji-sung. They then faced Argentina and suffered a 4–1 defeat, including an own goal by forward Park Chu-young. Their next result was a 2–2 draw in the match against Nigeria, with Lee Jung-soo and Park Chu-young scoring. This allowed them to make it to the knockout stage for the first time on foreign soil. In the round of 16 they met Uruguay, who took an early lead with a goal from Luis Suárez. South Korea equalized in the second half after Lee Chung-yong scored his second goal of the tournament but South Korea conceded another goal by Suárez in the 80th minute. Despite maintaining the majority of the possession in the second half, South Korea was unable to equalize again and were eliminated from the tournament.

After the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, where South Korea placed third in their group following losses to Mexico and Sweden and a win over defending champion Germany, former Portugal manager Paulo Bento was appointed as head coach.^[49] Bento showed a philosophy that wasn't dominated by the opposition's tactics and maintained his team's build-up play.^[50] However, South Korea had been familiar with reactive tactics that focus on defense. His style received negative assessments from a significant number of KFA's executives, and he came under fire from the South Korean media. Bento severed relations with the technical committee and managed the national team with only his coaching staff after Kim Pan-gon resigned from the association. Nevertheless, the national team players were attracted to his tactics and systematic training programs, and strongly supported him.^[51]

Bento's team easily qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after scoring well against Asian teams. Before the tournament, Son Heung-min, the Premier League Golden Boot winner and one of South Korea's key players, injured his eye socket and wasn't in optimal condition.^[52] At the World Cup, South Korea contested a goalless draw with Uruguay, and encountered a crisis after losing 3–2 to Ghana in the second match. Their defense failed to block all three of Ghana's shots on target, although their striker Cho Gue-sung scored two goals with headers.^[53] Bento was sent off for arguing with referee Anthony Taylor just after the match ended,^[54] and had to see South Korea's last group match against his homeland Portugal in the stands. However, South Korea defeated Portugal 2–1 with Kim Young-gwon and Hwang Hee-chan's goals, advancing to the knockout stage as group runners-up.^[55] Despite a 4–1 defeat to Brazil in the round of 16, the four-year challenge with Bento was finally appreciated by journalists and set a good direction for South Korean football.^[56]

The South Korea national football team has been known or nicknamed as the Taegeuk Warriors (Korean: 태극전사) and the Tigers of Asia (Korean: 아시아의 호랑이).^[57][58]

Red is the traditional shirt color of the South Korean national team, who are consequently nicknamed the "Reds", while the fans are called the "Red Devils". The away shirt has varied between white and blue. In 1994, the home shirt shifted from red to white, but in October 1995, red returned as the home color, paired with black shorts.

South Korea used to wear the country's flag as their shirt badge until 2001, when their tiger crest was unveiled.^[59] On 5 February 2020, the KFA announced a new, more simplistic logo.^[60] The emblem retained the tiger, albeit in a more minimalist design, enclosed in a rectangular frame.^[60] Red, blue and white, South Korea's traditional colors, have been maintained in the new logo.^[60]

Kit supplier	Period	Notes
Adidas, Asics, Kolon Sports, Pro-Specs, Weekend	1977–1986	South Korea contracted with Adidas as their first official kit sponsor, but they did not have an exclusive kit sponsor at that time.[61][62]
Rapido [ko] (Weekend)	1987–1995	Signed a long-term contract with Weekend (renamed Rapido in January 1988) in 1987.[62][63]
Nike	1996–present	Contracted at the end of 1995,[64] and sponsored since 1 January 1996.

Kit supplier	Period	Contract date	Contract duration	Total	Annual	Ref.
Nike	1996–present	December 1995	1996–1997	$3 million	$1.5 million
		16 December 1997	1998–2002	$38 million	$7.6 million	[65]
		9 January 2003	2003–2007	$50 million	$10.0 million	[66]
		23 October 2007	2008–2011	$49 million	$12.3 million	[67]
		13 January 2012	2012–2019	$120 million	$15.0 million	[68]
		20 January 2020	2020–2031	$204 million	$17.0 million	[69]

The South Korea national team played their first home match at the Dongdaemun Stadium on 21 April 1956. The match was a qualifier for the 1956 AFC Asian Cup against the Philippines.^[70] They currently play their home matches at several stadiums, which are also used by K League clubs.

South Korea's biggest rival is Japan. The rivalry is an extension of a competitive rivalry between the two nations that goes beyond football, and some matches in the past have been tainted with controversy.^[71][72] South Korea leads the all-time series with 42 wins, 23 draws and 16 losses.^[73]

A rivalry has also developed with Iran.^[74] The two nations have played against each other officially since 1958, totalling 33 matches as of March 2022, including eleven World Cup qualifiers. South Korea and Iran were among the strongest Asian national teams during the 1960s and 1970s. Although the teams played against each other only once in the final match of the Asian Cup, in 1972, they have faced each other five consecutive times in the quarter-finals between 1996 and 2011, with each team recording two wins, two losses, and a draw. Iran leads the all-time series with 13 wins, 10 draws and 10 losses.^[73]

Another major rival is Australia. In head-to-head matches, each team achieved 9 wins in 29 encounters, and 11 matches ended in a draw.^[73] The two countries have also met in four matches at the Asian Cup,^[75] including the 2015 final, where Australia won 2–1 after extra time for their first ever Asian championship.^[76]

South Korea has had great success against China, as China failed to beat them in competitive matches for 32 years before finally winning in 2010.^[77] They also possess a strong rivalry with North Korea, though matches are infrequent due to diplomatic and security reasons.

The official supporter group of the national team, the Red Devils, were founded in 1995. Known for their passionate support, they are commonly referred to as the 12th man.^[38] Their most common chant is "Dae~ Han-Min-Guk" [ko] (대~한민국), followed by five claps.^[78]

The FIFA Fan Fest was introduced at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea.^{[citation needed]}

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.^{[79][80][81][82]}

  Win0   Draw0   Loss0   Fixture

Notes

As of 19 November 2024

Results by decade

Year	GP	W	D	L	Win %	Matches
1948–1959	48	28	9	11	058.33	Matches
1960–1969	90	52	15	23	057.78	Matches
1970–1979	186	117	44	25	062.90	Matches
1980–1989	129	75	29	25	058.14	Matches
1990–1999	151	70	45	36	046.36	Matches
2000–2009	171	76	56	39	044.44	Matches
2010–2019	154	81	31	42	052.60	Matches
2020–present	59	35	14	10	059.32	Matches
Total	988	534	243	211	054.05	—

As of 21 August 2024^[85][86]

Current coaching staff

Position	Name
Manager	Hong Myung-bo
Assistant manager	João Aroso
Tactical coach	Tiago Maia
Coaches	Park Kun-ha Kim Dong-jin Kim Jin-kyu
Goalkeeping coach	Yang Yeong-min
Fitness coaches	Lee Jae-hong Jung Hyun-gyu

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Kuwait and Palestine on 14 and 19 November 2024, respectively.^[87][88]

Caps and goals updated as of 19 November 2024, after the match against Palestine.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Kim Kyeong-min	(1991-11-01) 1 November 1991 (age 33)	0	0	Gwangju FC
12	1GK	Lee Chang-geun	(1993-08-30) 30 August 1993 (age 31)	1	0	Daejeon Hana Citizen
21	1GK	Jo Hyeon-woo	(1991-09-25) 25 September 1991 (age 33)	39	0	Ulsan HD
2	2DF	Kim Moon-hwan	(1995-08-01) 1 August 1995 (age 29)	28	0	Daejeon Hana Citizen
3	2DF	Lee Myung-jae	(1993-11-04) 4 November 1993 (age 31)	7	0	Ulsan HD
4	2DF	Kim Min-jae	(1996-11-15) 15 November 1996 (age 28)	69	4	Bayern Munich
13	2DF	Lee Ki-hyuk	(2000-07-07) 7 July 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Gangwon FC
14	2DF	Cho Yu-min	(1996-11-17) 17 November 1996 (age 28)	11	0	Sharjah
15	2DF	Jung Seung-hyun	(1994-04-03) 3 April 1994 (age 30)	26	1	Al-Wasl
20	2DF	Kwon Kyung-won	(1992-01-31) 31 January 1992 (age 32)	32	2	Khor Fakkan
22	2DF	Seol Young-woo	(1998-12-05) 5 December 1998 (age 25)	22	0	Red Star Belgrade
	2DF	Lee Tae-seok	(2002-07-28) 28 July 2002 (age 22)	1	0	Pohang Steelers
5	3MF	Paik Seung-ho	(1997-03-17) 17 March 1997 (age 27)	20	3	Birmingham City
6	3MF	Hwang In-beom	(1996-09-20) 20 September 1996 (age 28)	66	6	Feyenoord
7	3MF	Son Heung-min (captain)	(1992-07-08) 8 July 1992 (age 32)	131	51	Tottenham Hotspur
8	3MF	Park Yong-woo	(1993-09-10) 10 September 1993 (age 31)	20	0	Al-Ain
10	3MF	Lee Jae-sung	(1992-08-10) 10 August 1992 (age 32)	94	13	Mainz 05
11	3MF	Jeong Woo-yeong	(1999-09-20) 20 September 1999 (age 25)	22	4	Union Berlin
16	3MF	Hong Hyun-seok	(1999-06-16) 16 June 1999 (age 25)	14	0	Mainz 05
17	3MF	Bae Jun-ho	(2003-08-21) 21 August 2003 (age 21)	6	2	Stoke City
18	3MF	Lee Kang-in	(2001-02-19) 19 February 2001 (age 23)	35	10	Paris Saint-Germain
	3MF	Lee Hyun-ju	(2003-02-07) 7 February 2003 (age 21)	1	0	Hannover 96
	3MF	Kim Bong-soo	(1999-12-26) 26 December 1999 (age 24)	0	0	Gimcheon Sangmu
9	4FW	Joo Min-kyu	(1990-04-13) 13 April 1990 (age 34)	8	2	Ulsan HD
19	4FW	Oh Se-hun	(1999-01-15) 15 January 1999 (age 25)	6	2	Machida Zelvia
23	4FW	Oh Hyeon-gyu	(2001-04-12) 12 April 2001 (age 23)	15	2	Genk

The following players have also been called up to the South Korea squad within the last twelve months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Kim Seung-gyu	(1990-09-30) 30 September 1990 (age 34)	81	0	Al-Shabab	v.  Iraq, 15 October 2024
GK	Kim Jun-hong	(2003-06-03) 3 June 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  Iraq, 15 October 2024
GK	Song Bum-keun	(1997-10-15) 15 October 1997 (age 27)	1	0	Shonan Bellmare	v.  Oman, 10 September 2024
GK	Hwang In-jae	(1994-04-22) 22 April 1994 (age 30)	0	0	Pohang Steelers	v.  China, 11 June 2024
DF	Hwang Mun-ki	(1996-12-08) 8 December 1996 (age 27)	2	0	Gangwon FC	v.  Kuwait, 14 November 2024 INJ
DF	Kim Ju-sung	(2000-12-12) 12 December 2000 (age 23)	2	0	FC Seoul	v.  Iraq, 15 October 2024
DF	Lee Han-beom	(2002-06-17) 17 June 2002 (age 22)	0	0	Midtjylland	v.  Iraq, 15 October 2024
DF	Park Min-gyu	(1995-08-10) 10 August 1995 (age 29)	0	0	Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo	v.  Iraq, 15 October 2024
DF	Kim Young-gwon	(1990-02-27) 27 February 1990 (age 34)	112	7	Ulsan HD	v.  Oman, 10 September 2024
DF	Hwang Jae-won	(2002-08-16) 16 August 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Daegu FC	v.  Oman, 10 September 2024
DF	Choi Woo-jin	(2004-07-18) 18 July 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Incheon United	v.  Oman, 10 September 2024
DF	Kim Jin-su	(1992-06-13) 13 June 1992 (age 32)	74	2	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  China, 11 June 2024
DF	Park Seung-wook	(1997-05-07) 7 May 1997 (age 27)	2	0	Gimcheon Sangmu	v.  China, 11 June 2024
DF	Choi Jun	(1999-04-17) 17 April 1999 (age 25)	0	0	FC Seoul	v.  China, 11 June 2024
DF	Ha Chang-rae	(1994-10-16) 16 October 1994 (age 30)	0	0	Nagoya Grampus	v.  China, 11 June 2024
DF	Kim Tae-hwan	(1989-07-24) 24 July 1989 (age 35)	31	0	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	2023 AFC Asian Cup
DF	Lee Ki-je	(1991-07-09) 9 July 1991 (age 33)	14	0	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	2023 AFC Asian Cup
DF	Kim Ji-soo	(2004-12-24) 24 December 2004 (age 19)	0	0	Brentford	2023 AFC Asian Cup
MF	Moon Seon-min	(1992-06-09) 9 June 1992 (age 32)	17	2	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  Iraq, 15 October 2024
MF	Lee Seung-woo	(1998-01-06) 6 January 1998 (age 26)	12	0	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  Iraq, 15 October 2024
MF	Lee Dong-gyeong	(1997-09-20) 20 September 1997 (age 27)	9	1	Gimcheon Sangmu	v.  Iraq, 15 October 2024
MF	Kwon Hyeok-kyu	(2001-03-13) 13 March 2001 (age 23)	0	0	Hibernian	v.  Iraq, 15 October 2024
MF	Hwang Hee-chan	(1996-01-26) 26 January 1996 (age 28)	69	15	Wolverhampton Wanderers	v.  Jordan, 10 October 2024 INJ
MF	Eom Ji-sung	(2002-05-09) 9 May 2002 (age 22)	3	1	Swansea City	v.  Jordan, 10 October 2024 INJ
MF	Jung Woo-young	(1989-12-14) 14 December 1989 (age 34)	76	3	Ulsan HD	v.  Oman, 10 September 2024
MF	Jeong Ho-yeon	(2000-09-28) 28 September 2000 (age 24)	1	0	Gwangju FC	v.  Oman, 10 September 2024
MF	Yang Min-hyeok	(2006-04-16) 16 April 2006 (age 18)	0	0	Gangwon FC	v.  Oman, 10 September 2024
MF	Um Won-sang	(1999-01-06) 6 January 1999 (age 25)	8	0	Ulsan HD	v.  China, 11 June 2024
MF	Song Min-kyu	(1999-09-12) 12 September 1999 (age 25)	14	1	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  Thailand, 26 March 2024
MF	Park Jin-seop	(1995-10-23) 23 October 1995 (age 29)	6	1	Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors	v.  Thailand, 26 March 2024
MF	Lee Soon-min	(1994-05-22) 22 May 1994 (age 30)	4	0	Daejeon Hana Citizen	2023 AFC Asian Cup
MF	Yang Hyun-jun	(2002-05-25) 25 May 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Celtic	2023 AFC Asian Cup
FW	Cho Gue-sung	(1998-01-25) 25 January 1998 (age 26)	39	9	Midtjylland	v.  Thailand, 26 March 2024
Notes INJ = Withdrew due to injury

The following players were inducted into the KFA Hall of Fame,^[89] or were selected for the Korean Best XI of All Time in one or more surveys.^[90][91]

As of 19 November 2024^[92]

Players in bold are still active with South Korea.

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Career
1	Cha Bum-kun	136	58	1972–1986
	Hong Myung-bo	136	10	1990–2002
3	Lee Woon-jae	133	0	1994–2010
4	Son Heung-min	131	51	2010–present
5	Lee Young-pyo	127	5	1999–2011
6	Kim Ho-kon	124	5	1971–1979
7	Yoo Sang-chul	122	18	1994–2005
8	Cho Young-jeung	113	1	1975–1986
9	Kim Young-gwon	112	7	2010–present
10	Ki Sung-yueng	110	10	2008–2019

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Cha Bum-kun	58	136	0.43	1972–1986
2	Son Heung-min	51	131	0.39	2010–present
3	Hwang Sun-hong	50	103	0.49	1988–2002
4	Park Lee-chun	36	89	0.4	1969–1974
5	Kim Jae-han	33	57	0.58	1972–1979
	Lee Dong-gook	33	105	0.31	1998–2017
7	Choi Soon-ho	30	103	0.29	1980–1991
8	Kim Do-hoon	29	72	0.4	1994–2003
	Huh Jung-moo	29	84	0.35	1974–1986
10	Choi Yong-soo	27	67	0.4	1995–2003
	Lee Tae-ho	27	72	0.38	1980–1991
	Kim Jin-kook	27	94	0.29	1972–1978

  Champions0   Runners-up0   Third place0   Tournament played on home soil

FIFA World Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1938	Part of Japan									Part of Japan
1950	Did not enter									Did not enter
1954	Group stage	2	0	0	2	0	16	Squad		2	1	1	0	7	3
1958	Did not enter									Entry denied by FIFA[93]
1962	Did not qualify									4	2	0	2	6	9
1966	Did not enter									Did not enter
1970	Did not qualify									4	1	2	1	6	5
1974										8	3	4	1	10	4
1978										12	5	6	1	16	9
1982										3	2	0	1	7	4
1986	Group stage	3	0	1	2	4	7	Squad		8	7	0	1	17	3
1990		3	0	0	3	1	6	Squad		11	9	2	0	30	1
1994		3	0	2	1	4	5	Squad		13	9	3	1	32	5
1998		3	0	1	2	2	9	Squad		12	9	2	1	28	8
2002	Fourth place	7	3	2	2	8	6	Squad		Qualified as hosts
2006	Group stage	3	1	1	1	3	4	Squad		12	7	3	2	18	7
2010	Round of 16	4	1	1	2	6	8	Squad		14	7	7	0	22	7
2014	Group stage	3	0	1	2	3	6	Squad		14	8	3	3	27	11
2018		3	1	0	2	3	3	Squad		18	12	3	3	38	10
2022	Round of 16	4	1	1	2	5	8	Squad		16	12	3	1	35	4
2026	To be determined									12	9	3	0	32	6
2030										To be determined
2034
Total	Fourth place	38	7	10	21	39	78	11/19[a]		163	103	42	18	331	96

Football at the Summer Olympics has been an under-23 tournament since 1992.

Summer Olympics record										Qualification record[94]
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1900 to 1908	Part of the Korean Empire									Part of the Korean Empire
1912 to 1936	Part of Japan									Part of Japan
1948	Quarter-finals	2	1	0	1	5	15	Squad		Directly qualified
1952	Did not enter									Did not enter
1956	Did not qualify									2	1	0	1	2	2
1960										4	2	0	2	4	4
1964	Group stage	3[a]	0	0	3	1	20	Squad		4	2	1	1	7	4
1968	Did not qualify									5	4	1	0	17	5
1972										4	3	0	1	16	2
1976										6	3	2	1	10	5
1980										6	4	0	2	16	6
1984										11	5	3	3	19	11
1988	Group stage	3[b]	0	2	1	1	2	Squad		Qualified as hosts
1992 to present	Entered with the under-23 team									Entered with the under-23 team
Total	Quarter-finals	8	1	2	5	7	37	3/11[c]		42	24	7	11	91	39

AFC Asian Cup record										Qualification record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956	Champions	3	2	1	0	9	6	Squad		4	4	0	0	9	1
1960	Champions	3	3	0	0	9	1	Squad		Qualified as hosts
1964	Third place	3[a]	1	0	2	2	4	Squad		Direct entry
1968	Did not qualify									4	1	1	2	9	4
1972	Runners-up	5	1	2	2	7	6	Squad		Direct entry
1976	Did not qualify									4	2	0	2	3	3
1980	Runners-up	6	4	1	1	12	6	Squad		3	3	0	0	10	1
1984	Group stage	4	0	2	2	1	3	Squad		4	3	1	0	13	0
1988	Runners-up	6	5	1	0	11	3	Squad		3[a]	1	1	1	5	3
1992	Did not qualify									2[a]	1	0	1	7	2
1996	Quarter-finals	4	1	1	2	7	11	Squad		3	3	0	0	17	0
2000	Third place	6	3	1	2	9	6	Squad		3	3	0	0	19	0
2004	Quarter-finals	4	2	1	1	9	4	Squad		6	4	0	2	30	4
2007	Third place	6	1	4	1	3	3	Squad		6	3	2	1	15	5
2011	Third place	6	4	2	0	13	7	Squad		Directly qualified
2015	Runners-up	6	5	0	1	8	2	Squad		Directly qualified
2019	Quarter-finals	5	4	0	1	6	2	Squad		8	8	0	0	27	0
2023	Semi-finals	6	2	3	1	11	10	Squad		6	5	1	0	22	1
2027	Qualified									6	5	1	0	20	1
Total	Champions	73	38	19	16	117	74	16/19		62	46	7	9	206	25

Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.

Asian Games record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
1951	Did not enter
1954	Silver medalists	4	1	2	1	15	12	Squad
1958	Silver medalists	5	4	0	1	15	6	Squad
1962	Silver medalists	5	4	0	1	9	5	Squad
1966	First round	2	0	0	2	0	4	Squad
1970	Gold medalists	6	3	2	1	5	3	Squad
1974	Second round	5	1	1	3	4	10	Squad
1978	Gold medalists	7	6	1	0	15	3	Squad
1982	Group stage	3	1	0	2	4	3	Squad
1986	Gold medalists	6	4	2	0	14	3	Squad
1990	Bronze medalists	6	5	0	1	18	1	Squad
1994	Fourth place	6	3	0	3	17	7	Squad
1998	Quarter-finals	6	4	0	2	12	6	Squad
2002 to present	Entered with the under-23 team
Total	Gold medalists	61	36	8	17	128	63	12/13

EAFF Championship record
Year	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2003	Champions	3	2	1	0	4	1	Squad
2005	Fourth place	3	0	2	1	1	2	Squad
2008	Champions	3	1	2	0	5	4	Squad
2010	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	8	4	Squad
2013	Third place	3	0	2	1	1	2	Squad
2015	Champions	3	1	2	0	3	1	Squad
2017	Champions	3	2	1	0	7	3	Squad
2019	Champions	3	3	0	0	4	0	Squad
2022	Runners-up	3	2	0	1	6	3	Squad
Total	Champions	27	13	10	4	39	20	9/9

Competition	Round	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad
2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Group stage	2	0	2	0	2	2	Squad
2001 FIFA Confederations Cup	Group stage	3	2	0	1	3	6	Squad
2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup	Fourth place	5	0	2	3	3	7	Squad

The following table shows South Korea's head-to-head record, correct as of 19 November 2024.^[95]

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	WPCT
Afghanistan	1	1	0	0	8	2	+6	100.00
Algeria	2	1	0	1	4	4	+0	050.00
Angola	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Argentina	3	0	0	3	2	8	−6	000.00
Australia (list)	29	9	11	9	30	29	+1	031.03
Bahrain	17	12	4	1	40	12	+28	070.59
Bangladesh	2	2	0	0	13	0	+13	100.00
Belarus	1	0	0	1	0	1	−1	000.00
Belgium	4	0	1	3	2	6	−4	000.00
Bolivia	3	1	2	0	1	0	+1	033.33
Bosnia and Herzegovina	2	1	0	1	3	3	+0	050.00
Brazil	8	1	0	7	6	20	−14	012.50
Brunei	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	100.00
Bulgaria	2	0	1	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Burkina Faso	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Cambodia	7	6	0	1	22	4	+18	085.71
Cameroon	5	3	2	0	10	3	+7	060.00
Canada	5	2	1	2	5	4	+1	040.00
Chile	3	1	1	1	2	1	+1	033.33
China (list)	38	23	13	2	56	26	+30	060.53
Chinese Taipei	21	14	1	6	50	19	+31	066.67
Colombia	8	4	3	1	14	9	+5	050.00
Costa Rica	10	4	3	3	13	12	+1	040.00
Croatia	7	2	2	3	7	11	−4	028.57
Cuba	1	0	1	0	0	0	+0	000.00
Czech Republic[a]	5	1	2	2	5	14	−9	020.00
Denmark	2	0	1	1	1	3	−2	000.00
Ecuador	2	1	0	1	3	2	+1	050.00
Egypt	18	6	7	5	18	21	−3	033.33
El Salvador	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
England	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Finland	3	3	0	0	5	0	+5	100.00
France	3	0	1	2	3	9	−6	000.00
Georgia	1	0	1	0	2	2	+0	000.00
Germany	4	2	0	2	7	5	+2	050.00
Ghana	7	3	0	4	10	14	−4	042.86
Greece	4	3	1	0	6	1	+5	075.00
Guam	1	1	0	0	9	0	+9	100.00
Guatemala	3	1	1	1	4	3	+1	033.33
Haiti	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	100.00
Honduras	3	3	0	0	9	0	+9	100.00
Hong Kong	29	22	5	2	69	21	+48	075.86
Hungary	2	0	0	2	0	10	−10	000.00
Iceland	2	2	0	0	6	1	+5	100.00
India	19	14	2	3	48	12	+36	073.68
Indonesia	36	30	4	2	84	19	+65	083.33
Iran	33	10	10	13	36	34	+2	030.30
Iraq	24	10	12	2	30	16	+14	041.67
Israel	11	5	4	2	17	12	+5	045.45
Italy	2	1	0	1	4	4	+0	050.00
Ivory Coast	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
Jamaica	4	2	2	0	7	3	+4	050.00
Japan (list)	81	42	23	16	124	76	+48	051.85
Jordan	8	4	3	1	9	6	+3	050.00
Kazakhstan	2	1	1	0	4	1	+3	050.00
Kuwait	25	13	4	8	33	21	+12	052.00
Kyrgyzstan	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00
Laos	5	5	0	0	28	0	+28	100.00
Latvia	2	2	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
Lebanon	16	12	3	1	28	5	+23	075.00
Libya	1	1	0	0	4	0	+4	100.00
Macau	3	3	0	0	11	2	+9	100.00
Malaysia	47	26	13	8	81	45	+36	055.32
Maldives	2	1	1	0	2	0	+2	050.00
Mali	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00
Malta	2	1	1	0	3	2	+1	050.00
Mexico	14	4	2	8	18	29	−11	028.57
Moldova	2	2	0	0	5	0	+5	100.00
Mongolia	1	1	0	0	6	0	+6	100.00
Morocco	2	0	1	1	3	5	−2	000.00
Myanmar	27	15	7	5	42	15	+27	055.56
Nepal	7	7	0	0	53	0	+53	100.00
Netherlands	2	0	0	2	0	7	−7	000.00
New Zealand	7	6	1	0	10	1	+9	085.71
Nigeria	5	3	2	0	9	6	+3	060.00
North Korea (list)	17	7	9	1	14	6	+8	041.18
North Macedonia	2	1	1	0	4	3	+1	050.00
Northern Ireland	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Norway	4	1	1	2	5	6	−1	025.00
Oman	6	5	0	1	13	5	+8	083.33
Pakistan	2	2	0	0	13	0	+13	100.00
Palestine	2	0	2	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Panama	1	0	1	0	2	2	+0	000.00
Paraguay	7	2	4	1	8	7	+1	028.57
Peru	3	0	1	2	0	5	−5	000.00
Philippines	8	8	0	0	37	0	+37	100.00
Poland	2	1	0	1	4	3	+1	050.00
Portugal	2	2	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00
Qatar	11	6	2	3	19	13	+6	054.55
Romania	1	0	0	1	1	2	−1	000.00
Russia	3	0	1	2	4	7	−3	000.00
Saudi Arabia	19	5	9	5	20	18	+2	026.32
Scotland	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	100.00
Senegal	4	1	1	2	3	4	−1	025.00
Serbia	3	1	1	1	3	3	+0	033.33
Serbia and Montenegro[96]	1	1	0	0	2	0	+2	100.00
Singapore	28	23	3	2	97	19	+78	082.14
Slovakia	1	0	1	0	0	0	+0	000.00
South Yemen	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	100.00
Spain	6	0	2	4	5	16	−11	000.00
Sri Lanka	3	3	0	0	19	0	+19	100.00
Sudan	1	1	0	0	8	0	+8	100.00
Sweden	5	0	2	3	3	18	−15	000.00
Switzerland	2	1	0	1	2	3	−1	050.00
Syria	10	6	3	1	12	5	+7	060.00
Tajikistan	1	1	0	0	4	1	+3	100.00
Thailand	47	31	8	8	96	37	+59	065.96
Togo	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100.00
Trinidad and Tobago	1	0	1	0	1	1	+0	000.00
Tunisia	3	1	1	1	4	1	+3	033.33
Turkey	7	1	2	4	4	13	−9	014.29
Turkmenistan	5	4	0	1	16	4	+12	080.00
Ukraine	2	2	0	0	3	0	+3	100.00
United Arab Emirates	21	13	5	3	38	14	+24	061.90
United States	11	5	3	3	10	8	+2	045.45
Uruguay	10	1	2	7	7	15	−8	010.00
Uzbekistan	16	11	4	1	34	14	+20	068.75
Venezuela	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	100.00
Vietnam[b]	25	17	6	2	66	21	+45	068.00
Wales	1	0	1	0	0	0	+0	000.00
Yemen[c]	1	1	0	0	6	0	+6	100.00
Yugoslavia[d]	7	0	3	4	4	13	−9	000.00
Zambia	4	2	0	2	10	8	+2	050.00
Total	988	534	243	211	1,782	909	+873	054.05

• Afro-Asian Cup of Nations

Champions: 1987

• AFC Asian Cup

Champions: 1956, 1960

Runners-up: 1972, 1980, 1988, 2015

Third place: 1964, 2000, 2007, 2011

• Asian Games

Gold medalists: 1970, 1978, 1986

Silver medalists: 1954, 1958, 1962

Bronze medalists: 1990

• EAFF Championship

Champions: 2003, 2008, 2015, 2017, 2019

Runners-up: 2010, 2022

Third place: 2013

• Korea Cup: 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1997^[97]
• Merdeka Tournament: 1960, 1965, 1967, 1970, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1978^[98]
• King's Cup: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1998^[99]
• Jakarta Anniversary Tournament: 1981^[100]
• Dynasty Cup: 1990^[101]
• LG Cup: 2000 (Iran), 2001 (Egypt), 2006 (Saudi Arabia)^[102]

• FIFA World Cup Most Entertaining Team: 2002
• AFC National Team of the Year: 2002, 2009
• EAFF Championship Fair Play Award: 2008
• AFC Asian Cup Fair Play Award: 2011

• Football in South Korea
• South Korea national under-20 football team
• South Korea national under-17 football team

• Official website of the Korea Football Association (in English and Korean)
• Korea Republic at FIFA
• Korea Republic at AFC