Coach Hong Myung-bo announced the call-ups on March 16 at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.
No. 22 South Korea will play No. 37 Ivory Coast at 11 p.m. March 28 (Korea time) at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England. It will then face No. 24 Austria at 3:45 a.m. April 1 at Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna.
Ivory Coast was selected as preparation for South Africa, South Korea’s third group-stage opponent in Group A.
Austria is positioned as a stand-in for the winner of UEFA playoff Group D, which includes Denmark, North Macedonia, the Czech Republic and Ireland. The team that will join Group A will be decided through the European playoffs later this month.
With the trip serving as the last rehearsal before the World Cup begins in June, Hong called in his key overseas-based players, including captain Son Heung-min (Los Angeles FC), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
Hong also selected striker Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas), winger Yang Hyeon-jun (Celtic) and central defender Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland), citing their steady club minutes and form.
Midfielder Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), who was injured in a club match earlier March 16, was included for now. The national team said it will assess his condition before making a final decision on his call-up.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.