Son Heung-min back to lead Taeguk Warriors in World Cup qualifiers as squad announced

Hong Myung-bo announced his squad for Korea's World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait and Palestine during the November international break.

Korea's Son Heung-min dribbles the ball during the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Sept. 5. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Son Heung-min received a national team call-up on Monday for the November international break after recovering from injury, joining the squad led by manager Hong Myung-bo that includes regular national team picks based in Europe like Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, Mainz midfielder Lee Jae-sung and four new faces.

Monday’s call-up marks Son’s return to the national team after he missed the October international break due to injury. The return comes after he picked up an assist in a Premier League match against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Fellow Premier Leaguer Wolverhampton Wanderers Hwang Hee-chan, however, did not make the squad this time due to an ankle injury sustained in the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Jordan on Oct. 10. Hwang has missed all fixtures since.

Korea's Hwang Hee-chan reacts after being tackled during the 2026 World Cup qualifier against Jordan at Amman International Stadium in Jordan on Oct. 10. [YONHAP]

Veteran midfielder Lee Jae-sung, meanwhile, joins the squad after a remarkable performance during the October break when he scored two goals in two qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq to lead the team’s two straight wins.

PSG midfielder Lee Kang-in did not pick up a goal during the October break, but he has still maintained solid form in Ligue 1, where he has scored one goal in the past three fixtures.

Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom also joins the squad after maintaining his impressive form at the Dutch club, where he has racked up one goal and six assists in 17 matches across all competitions.

Fellow midfielders based in Europe like Hong Hyun-seok of Mainz, Paik Seung-ho of Birmingham City and Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City also made the cut, while Union Berlin midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong, who got his last cap in March, is set to return to the fold for the first time under Hong Myung-bo.

Union Berlin's Jeong Woo-yeong, right, celebrates scoring a goal during the Bundesliga match against TSG Hoffenheim in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 21. [AP/YONHAP]

Defensive midfielder Park Yong-woo of Abu Dhabi club Al-Ain is back alongside two new picks that complete the midfield lineup: Kim Bong-soo of Gimcheon Sangmu and Lee Hyun-ju of Hannover 96.

Kim can play as a defensive midfielder, while Lee can execute the attacking midfielder or winger role.

Over in defense, Bayern Munich center-back Kim Min-jae leads the lineup with fellow center-back Cho Yu-min of Sharjah FC. The duo formed the core of Korea’s defense during the October break.

Jung Seung-hyun of Al Wasl, Kwon Kyung-won of Khor Fakkan Club, Seol Young-woo of Red Star Belgrade, Hwang Moon-gi and Lee Ki-hyuk of Gangwon FC and Lee Myung-jae of Ulsan HD join the duo in defense alongside Lee Tae-seok of the Pohang Steelers, who received his first call-up to the national team.

The forward lineup remains the same as the October break with Oh Hyeon-gu of KRC Genk, Joo Min-kyu of Ulsan and Oh Se-hun of Machida Zelvia joining the squad.

Joo made it despite being the only forward out of three who failed to score a goal during the qualifiers last month.

Three goalkeepers — Jo Hyeon-woo of Ulsan, Kim Kyeong-min of Gwangju FC and Lee Chang-guen of Daejeon Hana Citizen — complete the squad.

A noticeable absence is Al Shabab goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu, the former No. 1 pick who has not picked up a cap since sustaining an anterior cruciate injury in January.

Kim played was the No. 1 pick under former managers Paulo Bento and Jurgen Klinsmann and made it to the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup rosters, but has not played a national team game since sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January. He did return to the squad for the October break, but did not play a single minute.

Kim’s absence comes despite manager Hong saying after the qualifier against Iraq on Oct. 15 that the reason he did not play Kim is not because he does not fit the manager’s tactics.

Korea's Kim Seung-gyu, far right, celebrates with his teammates after their 3-2 win over Iraq at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi on Oct. 15. [YONHAP]

For Kim Kyeong-min, this marks his first call-up to the national squad.

The Korean national team will play Kuwait on Nov. 14 and Palestine on Nov. 19 in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers during the November break.

The Korea manager, who took the helm in July, faced criticism in September for relying too much on players’ individual talent, but his squad pulled off cohesive performances during the qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq that saw players improve buildup play and sharpness in front of goal.

The two wins last month put the Taeguk Warriors at the top of Group B with three wins and one draw.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]