The defender, who was once “communicative” in Korea, has long been a source of anxiety for the Korean national soccer team. However, Seol Young-woo’s (26, Tsurvena Zvezda) card seems to have become clear now.
Seol Young-woo, who received the K-League Young Player Award in 2021, made his A-match debut only in June last year, and has established himself as the main player of the national team in about a year. Even if the head coach changed, with former coach Jurgen Klinsman stepping down and Hong Myung-bo taking the helm, his position remains strong.
Seol Young-woo is the only fullback who has started in all three games since Hong’s appointment.
Seol not only has stable defense but also active overlap and accurate crosses to participate in offense. As he can take responsibility for both left and right defense, he has a wide range of uses.
Seol Young-woo, who left Ulsan to enter the European stage last summer, is said to have improved his skills by playing consistently in Zvezda.
Seol Young-woo’s contribution is largely due to the fact that Hong Myung-bo, who departed in a chaotic atmosphere, cruised to the lead in Group B (2 wins, 1 draw, 7 points) in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup.
Seol and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) and Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) joined forces to display salty defense, in which they only conceded one goal. Seol also contributed when he needed to break through the blood of frustrating attack.
In particular, in an away match in Jordan on the 10th, he helped Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) score a golden first goal in the 38th minute of the first half.
After beating an opponent on the right side, Seol crossed the line accurately near the goal, and Lee Jae-sung jumped high and hit it with his head. It was a perfect score for Jordanian defense.
South Korea changed the flow of the game with a goal jointly scored by Seol Young-woo and Lee Jae-sung, and added an additional goal by Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk) in the 23rd minute of the second half to win a pleasant 2-0 victory. 스포츠토토
Commentator Park Chan-ha said, “Seol has improved his skills since moving to Zvezda. As a result, he has also been playing well in the national team. He is a player who can play both left and right defenders, and he shows good adaptability no matter what position he plays,” adding, “If Seol continues to play like he did against Jordan in the future, he will be able to ease concerns about the side of the national team.”
Seol Young-woo, who showed a clear presence, is expected to start in Group B of the third qualifying round for the North Korea-China World Cup at Yongin Mir Stadium on the 15th.
Seol said, “We had a precious victory in the away game in Jordan, but that is not the end of the game. We will repay the fans’ support with a victory in the match against Iraq.”