For the third time in the history of the Korean national soccer A team, “father and son” has been named. Lee’s son Lee Tae-seok (Pohang), who led the team to the semi-finals in 2002, has become the first player to wear the national flag.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced on Monday the list of 26 men’s A team players who will play in the fifth and sixth rounds of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. Led by coach Hong Myung-bo, the A team will have an away match against Kuwait on April 14 and an away match against Palestine on April 19. The match against Palestine will be held in Jordan, a neutral zone due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It is noteworthy that there are four players selected for the first time in the list of convened players. The main players are Lee Hyun-joo (Hanover), defensive midfielder Kim Bong-soo (Kim Cheon-sang-moo), and goalkeeper Kim Kyung-min (Gwangju FC), who will play on the German stage including fullback Lee Tae-seok.
Lee Tae-seok became the third father and son to be selected for the national team after the father and son Kim Chan-ki, Kim Seok-won, and Cha Bum-keun and Cha Du-ri.
Kim made his A-match debut in 1958 and Kim Seok-won in 1984. Cha Bum-keun played his first A-match in 1972, and Cha Du-ri in 2001.
With Lee Tae-seok’s selection, the “rich Taegeuk Warriors” will come out for the first time in 23 years since Cha Du-ri.
Lee played his first match for the A team in 1999. Cha Du-ri and Lee played as main players in the 2002 World Cup. Now Lee’s son is honored.
Coach Hong Myung-bo said at a press conference to announce the list of players held at the Korea Football Center in Sinmun-ro, Seoul on Monday, “We judged that Kim is maintaining his steady performance. Lee seemed to have had difficulties in other positions as he moved to other teams, but he seemed to be playing comfortably in his original position in the match against FC Seoul. I am always worried about a full-back position, but I thought it was necessary to observe him because he is a typical full-back style.”
Lee plans to join the national team after the home game on the 10th.
Lee joined the Pohang University of Science and Technology through the transfer window last summer. Lee quickly integrated into the team by not only defending but also attacking. He also scored his professional debut goal following assists. Through his performances, he has drawn attention as a future resource to address concerns over the national team’s fullback position. Born in 2002, Lee played in many matches at an early age, and also recorded 100 K-League 1 matches in his previous matches. Lee Hyun-joo is also a native of Pohang Youth.
“I’m so happy that I came to Pohang and scored my debut goal, achieved 100 matches, and even selected a member of the national team,” Lee said. “I felt that I was a good fit with this team because good things kept happening,” Lee said. “I played hard because I thought I had to win the match against Seoul, but thank you for liking it. As it is my first selection, I will show you great spirit.” 토토사이트
Meanwhile, Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who missed the two consecutive games in October due to injury, was listed again, and key members such as Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), and Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) also joined the list.
Korea belongs to Group B along with Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Palestine, and Kuwait in the third qualifying round for the World Cup. In the third qualifying round, the team that ranks second in each group (six countries in total) will advance to the World Cup finals. With 10 points (three wins and one draw), Korea is leading the group ahead of Jordan (seven points, two wins, one draw and one loss).