Korean players to watch out for during the Asian Cup exodus

The biggest names in Korean football may be in Qatar for the Asian Cup, but that doesn't mean there's nobody left to support in Europe. From Stoke's Bae Jun-ho to Birmingham's Choe Yu-ri, here's some of the key players to watch out for this month

Stoke City's Bae Jun-ho reacts during an FA Cup third round match between Stoke and Brighton and Hove Albion at the bet365 Stadium in Stoke on Trent, England, on Jan. 6. [AFP/YONHAP]

A star-studded squad of Korean football players based in Europe are reporting for international duty this week as the delayed AFC Asian Cup kicks off in Qatar.

It’s Jurgen Klinsmann’s biggest test yet. The national team manager has said repeatedly since taking the helm last February that his main goal is winning the Asian Cup, which would be Korea’s first since 1960.

And he’s looking to do it with a squad stacked with players who’ve clocked hundreds of minutes with European teams, racking up goals and picking up huge followings that are arguably, understandably bigger in Korea. Fans now swim in a sea of European jerseys at national team matches at home.

But not all Korean players in Europe have left their teams with Taeguk-shaped spaces in the locker room.

For starters, there are a handful of players from the women’s national team — who finished second at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2022 — in action with their European clubs.

Lee Geum-min appears for Brighton in a game against Tottenham Hotspur on Oct. 16 in a photo posted on social media [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Women’s national team veteran Lee Geum-min currently plays as a forward for Brighton in the top-tier English Women's Super League. The 29-year-old signed with the team in 2021 after joining on a one-season loan from Manchester City where she made her European debut in 2019.

So far this season, she’s made eight appearances for Brighton out of a total 10 WSL matches played, picking up her first and only goal in a late 1-0 win against former club Manchester City, the league leaders, in November.

It was a bright spot in an otherwise drab season for the coastal club, who currently sit in 10th on the 12-team table. The team have failed to pick up another WSL win since the City stunner — aside from a 3-1 victory against No. 11 West Ham during a group stage match of the FA WSL Cup, which does not impact league standings.

Brighton are next on the pitch Sunday for a fourth round FA Women’s Cup match against semi-professional Luton Town before their next WSL bout with last-place Bristol City the Sunday after that, at home on Jan. 21.

Elsewhere in England, fellow national team veteran Choe Yu-ri plays as a forward for Birmingham City, in the second-division Women’s Championship. She nabbed her first goal in December during an FA Women’s Cup match against third-tier club MK Dons.

Choe Yu-ri appears for Birmingham City in a photo posted on the club's official X page [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Choe, 29, has clocked 116 minutes over four appearances in the regular season, her first outside of Korea. She joined Birmingham City, who currently sit atop the 12-team Women’s Championship table, in September from WK League side Hyundai Steel Red Angels.

Cho So-hyun, who at 35 is one of Korea’s most-capped players of all time, is also on the Birmingham City lineup. The midfielder has yet to see the pitch since joining the team in September after stints with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham.

Birmingham City next face Burnley in an FA Women’s Cup match on Sunday.

Midfielder Park Ye-eun had seemed to find a steadier stride in the Scottish Women’s Premier League last fall. The 27-year-old has clocked around 200 minutes over three appearances for Heart of Midlothian, joining the team after her European debut at Brighton with Lee was rather uneventful.

Park Ye-eun celebrates after scoring for Heart of Midlothian in a Scottish Women's Premier League game against Spartans FC Women at Ainslie Park Stadium in Edinburgh on Oct. 15, 2023, in a photo posted to the official Hearts X, formerly Twitter, page. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

She scored her first goal for Hearts in October in a 4-3 win against Spartans — but she hasn’t played much, or really at all, since then. Park last appeared for Hearts on Oct. 22. No. 5 Hearts next face No. 8 Motherwell on Jan. 15.

There are also a number of notable Korean players across men’s leagues in Europe who missed out on the call for Klinsmann’s Asian Cup — mostly younger players who’ve yet to make their first senior caps or get reasonable time on the pitch in Europe.

Kwon Hyeok-kyu poses with a Celtic shirt after signing with the club on July 24, 2023, in official photos shared on social media. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Celtic midfielder Kwon Hyeok-kyu is the only Korean left on his lineup as his teammates Yang Hyun-jun and Oh Hyeon-gyu have both been called up for national team duty. Kwon, who joined the team from K League 2 side Busan IPark, has yet to play in the Scottish Premiership — making it as far as the bench. Celtic next play on Jan. 22

Bae Jun-ho, the 20-year-old winger for Championship side Stoke City, has seen plenty of playing time since joining the team in August from K League 1 side Daejeon Hana Citizen. He’s picked up two assists in 1,141 minutes over 21 appearances with No. 19 Stoke City, who next play No. 24 Rotherham on Sunday. And though he’s yet to get the call from Klinsmann, Bae has seen recent Asian Cup success as a member of the squad that reached the semifinals of the U-20 tournament last year.

In Germany, there’s Lee Hyun-jun, in the midfield for second-division 2. Bundesliga side SV Wehen Wiesbaden. He’s scored three goals so far over 15 appearances this season. SV next face STVV in a friendly on Friday.

Korean center-back Lee Han-beom poses in an FC Midtjylland shirt after signing with the club on Aug. 28, 2023. [FC MIDTJYLLAND]

And in Denmark’s Superliga, Lee Han-beom plays as a midfielder for FC Midtjylland — normally alongside Cho Gue-sung, who did get the Klinsmann nod — where he’s picked up one assist in the one game he’s played since joining the team. Midtjylland next play AaB on Jan. 19.

And then there’s Hwang Ui-jo, currently with Norwich City, whom the KFA suspended from the national team over allegations he faces in Korea. But aside from a hamstring injury that took the 31-year-old out for two weeks in December, Hwang has been on the pitch for the Norwich club, last starting for their New Year’s Day match against Southampton. Norwich City next face Hull City on Saturday but the team has yet to announce its starting XI.

Norwich City's Hwang Ui-Jo in action with Fulham's Marek Rodak during a Carabao Cup game at Craven Cottage in London on Sept. 27, 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

In Qatar, the Korean national team will play their first match of the Asian Cup against Bahrain on Monday.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]