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Injury woes for Taeguk Warriors mount as Birmingham's Paik hits injury table

Published: 11 Feb. 2026, 13:36

Birmingham City's Paik Seung-Ho celebrates after he scores his side's first goal of a Championship match against Oxford City at Knighthead Park in Birmingham, England, on Aug. 23, 2025. [AP/YONHAP]

Korea's preparations for the 2026 World Cup suffered another setback as Paik Seung-ho suffered a shoulder injury, joining a growing list of likely call-ups on the injury table just four months before the tournament.

The 28-year-old Birmingham City midfielder started the Championship match against West Bromwich Albion at Knighthead Park in Birmingham on Tuesday, but was substituted after 15 minutes with a suspected shoulder problem. He appeared to hurt himself when landing awkwardly following a header and was replaced by Tommy Doyle.

Paik previously missed national team duty last November due to a similar injury. He has made 23 appearances for Korea, scoring three goals, including a long-range strike against Brazil at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

National team manager Hong Myung-bo is already missing several key midfielders. Park Yong-woo of Al Ain has been sidelined since tearing a cruciate ligament in September of last year, while Won Du-jae of Khor Fakkan recently underwent shoulder surgery and faces up to five months out.

The squad's attacking options have also been hit, with Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Hwang Hee-chan ruled out for several weeks after suffering a calf injury in a 3-1 Premier League defeat to Chelsea on Sunday.

"Channy is out, and it'll be a few weeks. It's his calf," club manager Rob Edwards told reporters Tuesday as he spoke about Hwang's condition ahead of his team's Premier League match against Nottingham Forest slated for Thursday. "We'll rescan again in a couple of weeks and see where he's at. But he'll probably be a number of weeks."

The absence of these key players could unsettle Korea's World Cup preparations. The national team are set to take on the Ivory Coast in a friendly on March 28 in Britain.

Yonhap