World Cup

Son Heung-min headlines South Korea squad for World Cup

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 12 November 2022

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min is named in the South Korea squad for the World Cup, while Kim Min-jae and Hwang Hee-chan are also included.

Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min has been named in the South Korea squad for the World Cup.

The 30-year-old's participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt when he suffered a fractured eye socket during his team's recent Champions League clash with Marseille.

However, Son confirmed last week that he would be available to represent his country in Qatar.

The attacker has now officially been named in the squad, with South Korea preparing to take on Uruguay, Ghana and Portugal in the group stage of the competition.

Son is South Korea's fourth-highest goalscorer of all time, finding the back of the net on 35 occasions in 105 caps for his country, in addition to registering 17 assists.

South Korea coach Paulo Bento on March 29, 2022 © Reuters

The forward might have to wear a protective mask at the upcoming tournament, but South Korea boss Paulo Bento has admitted that he does not know when Son will be able to resume training.

"We don't have that information yet," Bento told reporters. "We are in contact with him, with the Tottenham medical department. We need to wait, we need to analyse day by day his situation.

"We have time to decide and the most important is he recovers as well as possible, he feels comfortable and then we will take the final decision."

Napoli's Kim Min-jai and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan are also among the players to be named in the final squad.

Hwang Hee-chan celebrates scoring for South Korea on September 23, 2022 © Reuters

Kim Young-gwon is the most experienced defender in the squad, having been capped on 96 occasions by his national team, while Mainz 05 midfielder Lee Jae-sung has also been selected.

Mallorca's Lee Kang-in is included, with the 21-year-old still looking for his first international goal, while there is also a spot for Cho Gue-sung, who has four goals for the national team.

Son is comfortably the leading goalscorer in the squad with 35, but Hwang Ui-jo, who joined Nottingham Forest over the summer before being loaned to Olympiacos, has 16 in 49 caps.

South Korea squad for World Cup:

Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabab), Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk Motors); Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Motors), Hong Chul (Daegu FC), Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk Motors), Yoon Jong-gyu (FC Seoul), Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan Hyundai), Kwon Kyung-won (Gamba Osaka), Cho Yu-min (Daejon Citizen); Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), Na Sang-ho (FC Seoul), Paik Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Motors), Son Jun-ho (Shandong Taishan), Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Motors), Kwon Chang-hoon (Gimcheon Sangmu), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos), Jeong Woo-yeong (Freiburg), Lee Kang-in (Real Mallorca); Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiacos), Cho Gue-sung (Jeonbuk Motors), Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur)