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Korean national football team rookies vow to get better after nervy debuts

Published: 08 Jul. 2025, 11:14

Lee Ho-jae of Korea takes a shot against China during the teams' first match of the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on July 7. [YONHAP]

With Korea leading China 3-0 about an hour into their opening match of the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship on Monday, two players were brought in off the bench together for their senior national team debuts.

And after about 30 minutes of action, Pohang Steelers forward Lee Ho-jae and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors midfielder Kang Sang-yoon both came away feeling they still have so much work to do.

Lee, 24, and Kang, 21, were among six K League 1 players who earned their first caps for Korea on Monday at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi, where the home team cruised to a three-goal win. Head coach Hong Myung-bo was able to deploy young and largely unproven talent because the EAFF tournament didn't feature the usual cast of Europe-based national team mainstays. Of 26 players on the team, 10 didn't have any international caps prior to this tournament.

Afterward, Hong said while he was pleased with the skills of his international rookies, he also thought the match must have been a shock to their system and urged those players to use the occasion as a stepping stone for further growth.

Kang, the youngest Korean player at the tournament, said he couldn't agree more.

"I was honored to realize my childhood dream of playing for the national team but at the same time, I was disappointed to miss out on some good scoring chances," Kang said. "I have to be sharper there."

Kang said his issues were as much mental as physical.

"I tried to stay relaxed and take this as just another match, but once I stepped on the field, I tightened up in spite of myself," Kang said. "So I think this is where I should get better mentally."

Kang, who has 65 matches under his belt in the domestic K League 1, insisted the belief in himself hasn't wavered.

Kang Sang-yoon of South Korea controls the ball during the team's first match of the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship against China at Yongin Mireu Stadium in Yongin, Gyeonggi on July 7. [YONHAP]

"I am always confident. It's just that I felt I have so much room for improvement after this match," Kang said. "But I see this as positive. If I can learn from this experience and keep getting better, then I will continue to feel confident playing alongside older guys from European clubs."

Lee said he will try to be more precise and clinical around the goal next time.

"I think I showed some willingness to get into the dirty area near the goal and maintain possession of the ball," said Lee, the second-tallest Korean player at this tournament at 191 centimeters (6 feet, 3 inches). "But next time, I will try to show more than just willingness and finish my chances."

Lee's father, Lee Ki-hyung, earned 47 caps from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, including 10 during Korea's qualifying campaign for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. The senior Lee didn't make the World Cup squad, and now his son is trying to become the first in the family to represent the country at the big event.

Asked if his father had given him any advice, Ho-jae said, "He told me not to feel too nervous and just play my game."

"He said I should keep moving near the goal, and I think I did some of that," the son added. "It would have been better if I'd converted some of the chances."

Yonhap