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Lee Kang-in, Kim Min-jae call-ups come despite lack of playing time at clubs

Published: 01 Sep. 2025, 12:31 Updated: 01 Sep. 2025, 19:44

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, left, and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae [AP/YONHAP]

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup less than a year away, Korean national team regular picks Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Lee Kang-in and Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae are both seeing limited playing time in the start of the 2025-26 season.

Kim was in the Bayern squad for their away match against FC Augsburg on Saturday, but center-back duo Jonathan Tah and Dayot Upamecano played the full 90 minutes.

Kim has not featured as a regular pick so far this season in the presence of new signee Tah, who joined Bayern this summer after spending an unbeaten title-winning season with Bayer 04 Leverkusen in 2024.

The Korean defender only played 22 minutes in Bayern's first league match of the season against RB Leipzig on Aug. 22, although he played the whole game against SV Wehen Wiesbaden in the DFB-Pokal on Aug. 27.

Kim showcased not just his defending skills, but his aggression in the first league match, dribbling 50 meters (55 yards) and registering an assist.

But his form has still not made him the No. 1 center-back pick. Transferring to a different club in the winter transfer window is an option, but AC Milan and Inter Milan, who reportedly showed interest in him, are no longer pursuing him due to his high salary of 230,000 euros ($270,000) a week.

Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae, center, warms up before a preseason match against Olympique Lyonnais at Allianz Arena in Munich on Aug. 2. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

PSG midfielder Lee faces a similar situation. The 24-year-old has yet to play the full 90 minutes across three appearances this season and spent the whole time on the bench in the club's 6-3 win over Toulouse on Saturday.

Lee saw a good start to the season, scoring a goal in a 2-2 draw — ending with a 4-3 win on penalties for PSG — against Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Super Cup last month, but he still did not start the first Ligue 1 match of the campaign against FC Nantes on Aug. 17 and only saw nine minutes in the following game against Angers SCO.

But Lee's absence has not troubled PSG notably, with the club having won all three opening matches.

Lee's limited playing time has drawn interest from Premier League club Nottingham Forest, which reportedly offered PSG a fee of 60 million euros including add-ons. AC Milan, Napoli and Fulham have also expressed interest.

Kim and Lee's limited playing time could prompt national team manager Hong Myung-bo to reconsider his best XI, as he did with Hwang Hee-chan, who was left out for the upcoming friendlies after seeing fewer playing minutes and an unimpressive run of form with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2024-25 season.

Kim and Lee made the cut this time, but Hong faces the challenge of filling the vacancy left by Hwang In-beom, who acts as the engine of the Korean midfield. The Feyenoord midfielder was dropped due to injury.

Nine players from the K League were due to depart for the United States on Monday as of press time, while players based overseas would join the squad in the country.

Korea will face the United States on Saturday and play Mexico on Sept. 10.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]