Hong Myung-bo-ho center back Kim Young-kwon (35, Ulsan) jumped to fifth place in the longest-running A match.
Kim Young-kwon started in the first round of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Palestine at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 5th.
Kim Young-kwon, who played in the A-match for the first time in five months since the match against Thailand in March, has extended his business trip to 14 years and 25 days.
Kim Young-kwon, who debuted as a member of the national team on August 11, 2010 and was consistently selected for the national team, beat “stork” Hwang Sun-hong (13, 349 days) and ranked fifth in this category through the match against Palestine.
Only Lee Dong-guk (1912, 112) and Lee Woon-jae (16 years, 159 days), Kim Nam-il (14 years, 182 days), and Cha Bum-keun (14 years, 34 days) have played for the national team for longer than Kim Young-kwon.
If Kim Young-kwon plays in the third away game of the third qualifying round against Jordan on the 10th of next month, he will rise to fourth place alone, beating “Cha Boom.”
Kim Young-kwon, a left-footed center back who is a rare player in Korean soccer history, is steadily increasing the number of A-match games.
Kim Young-kwon, who beat Ki Sung-yueng (Seoul, 110 games) as the former captain of the national team in March, increased his A-match record to 112 games through the match against Palestine. If he plays in the match against Oman on the 10th, he will tie for eighth with Cho Young-jeung (113 games) who is a senior player.
The player who played in the most A matches among active players was captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), who recorded his 128th game through the match against Palestine, beating Lee Young-pyo (127 games) to rise to fourth place alone.
Cha Bum-kun and Hong Myung-bo, the current coaches of the Korean national team, held the record of most A-match appearances. Considering age and skills, it is simply a matter of time to set a new record.
If Son Heung-min plays in all the remaining A matches until November, he will be tied with Lee Woon-jae (133 games) in the third place within this year.
Son made his A-team debut in December 2010 and has been active for 13 years and 251 days. He is ranked seventh after Hwang.
Key midfielder Lee Jae-sung (Minutes) is moving forward vigorously to join the 18th Century Club (100 games) in history. 먹튀검증
Lee Jae-sung increased the number of A-match matches to 89 with his participation in the match against Palestine.