Kang Kuk-chol (footballer, born 1999)

Kang Kuk-chol
Personal information
Full name Kang Kuk-chol
Date of birth (1999-09-29) 29 September 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth Pyongyang, North Korea[1]
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s) Left-back, winger
Team information
Current team
 Rimyongsu
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016– Rimyongsu
International career‡
2016–2018 North Korea U19 6 (2)
2018–2023 North Korea U23 18 (2)
2016– North Korea 21 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 September 2024

Kang Kuk-chol (Korean: 강국철; born 19 September 1999) is a North Korean professional footballer who plays as a left-back or winger for DPR Korea Premier Football League club Rimyongsu and the North Korea national football team.[1]

Club career

Kang had been playing for Rimyongsu since 2016.[1][2][3]

International career

Youth

With North Korea under-23, Kang featured in the AFC U-23 Championship in 2018 and 2020 and scored 1 goal in the 2020 edition from a long-range free kick against Vietnam.[4]

In September 2023, Kang was called up to North Korea Olympic squad for the 2022 Asian Games in China.[5] He scored a goal in the round of 16 against Bahrain to qualify his team to the quarter-finals, where they got eliminated.[6]

Senior

In 2016, Kang made his debut with the North Korea national team.[1][2] Later, he was named in North Korea's final 23-men squad for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, being the youngest member of the team.[7]

Career statistics

International

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 10 September 2024 New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos  Qatar 2–2 2–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Kang Kuk-chol II". national-football-teams.com. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "〈2026W杯アジア2次予選〉ピックアッププレーヤー④カン・グクチョル選手" [2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers Round 2 Pick-up Player No. 4: Kang Kuk-chol] (in Japanese). Choson Sinbo. 20 March 2024.
  3. ^ "〈2026W杯アジア2次予選〉【鼎談】代表での再会願い活躍誓う" (in Japanese). Choson Sinbo. 28 March 2024.
  4. ^ "베트남 패배 부른 어이 없는 실책" (in Korean). Zum. 17 January 2020.
  5. ^ "Football Men's - Team Roster - (PRK) Democratic People's Republic of Korea" (PDF). Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee. 24 September 2023. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  6. ^ "북한, '4연속 똑같은 라인업' 노빠꾸 축구로 8강 진출… 바레인에 2대0 승" (in Korean). Chosun. 27 September 2023.
  7. ^ "AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Complete Squad Lists" (PDF). Asian Football Confederation. 27 December 2018.