Kim Bong-soo (24, Kim Cheon-sang-moo), who was honored with his first career national team selection, expressed his ambition.
Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean national team, announced the list of A-match call-ups to be joined by Kuwait and Palestine in Group B 5 and 6 of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North Korea and China at 11 a.m. on the 4th at the soccer center in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The match against Kuwait will be held at Ardiya Jabeur Al-Ahmad International Stadium in Kuwait at 11 p.m. on the 14th, and the match against Palestine will be held five days later at 11 p.m. on the 19th at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan.
Coach Hong Myung-bo remained vigilant, saying, “It will be an important event beyond October,” despite relatively easy matches. If Korea wins both games, it will be able to overcome the seventh-level ridge of its advance to the World Cup for the 11th consecutive time. As the third-ranked Iraq and the second-ranked Jordan will face off each other in the fifth game, this is a golden opportunity to widen the gap with the lower-ranked teams.
Among these, the biggest concern for the national team is generational change. Coach Hong Myung-bo invited Choi Woo-jin (Incheon United) and Yang Min-hyuk (Gangwon FC) when he first convened, and this time, he recruited Kim Kyung-min (Gwangju FC), Lee Tae-seok (Pohang Steelers), Kim Bong-soo and Lee Hyun-joo (Hanover 96) to transfer new faces to different positions.
Among them, coach Hong Myung-bo has been keeping an eye on him since the beginning of this season. Currently serving in the military duty in Gimcheon, a member of Jeju United, Kim is a resource that can strengthen his capacity in the midfield battle based on his talent. Despite being in his fourth year as a pro, he constantly played 132 K-League games and posted five goals and three assists.
When asked about the reason for selecting Kim Bong-soo, head coach Hong Myung-bo replied briefly and thickly, saying, “Kim Bong-soo has maintained a steady performance since the beginning of this season.”
Kim was almost unknown until he advanced to the professional league. He led Gwangju University to win the regional league title for three consecutive years when he was in college, and he had no connection with the national team by age group. After advancing to the professional league, he was invited by coach Hwang Sun-hong (Daejeon Hana Citizen) last year and played two practice matches with China while preparing for the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games. Eventually, he was not listed on the final list. 안전놀이터
Kim Bong-soo, who has achieved his dream of becoming the first member of the national team, said in an interview with Sportal Korea, “I’m still very nervous. I’m very happy and excited to be joining the national team. I’m looking forward to it,” adding, “It’s a moment I’ve always dreamed of.”
As for what he will show if he gets a chance to debut in the national team, he said, “I want to show as much as I can do well in defense and build-up and prove that I am a competitive player.”
“I ended up joining the national team with difficulty. I will not forget that it is a precious opportunity, and will do my best. Although it is my first selection, I will not be discouraged and fight against the opponent. I hope that it will be an opportunity to further promote Kim Bong-soo and make the national team more often in the future,” he said.