Ja-Cheol Koo is the only Bundesliga player in South Korea’s preliminary squad for the World Cup. Head coach Tae-Yong Shin named 28 players ahead of the finals in Russia, a squad led by former Hamburg man Heung-Min Son, now of Tottenham. South Korea are in Group F with World Cup holders Germany, Sweden and Mexico – facing Germany last of all on the 27th June in Kasan.
Shin has until the 4th June to name his final 23-man squad. So far, he has named twelve defenders. Under the management of Ulli Stielike’s successor, South Korea have scored 20 goals and conceded 19 in 14 games. "My most difficult task at the moment is to find a defensive line," said Shin, whose preliminary squad consists of nine players who competed in the 2014 World Cup.
South Korea’s preliminary World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Seung-Gyu Kim (Vissel Kobe/Japan), Jin-Hyeon Kim (Cerezo Osaka/Japan), Hyun-Woo Cho (Daegu FC/South Korea)
Defenders: Young-Gwon Kim (Guangzhou Evergrande/China), Hyun-Soo Jang (FC Tokio/Japan), Seung-Hyun Jung (Sagan Tosu/Japan), Yong-Sun Yun (Seongnam FC/South Korea), Kyung-Won Kwon (Tianjin Quanjian/China), Ban-Suk Oh (Jeju United/South Korea), Jin-Su Kim (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors/South Korea), Min-Woo Kim (Sangju Sangmu/South Korea), Joo-Ho Park (Ulsan Hyundai/South Korea), Hong Chul (Sangju Sangmu/South Korea), Yo-Han Go (FC Seoul/South Korea), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors/South Korea)
Midfielders: Sung-Yueng Ki (Swansea City/Wales), Woo-Young Jung (Vissel Kobe/Japan), Chang-Hoon Kwon (FCO Dijon/Frankreich), Se-Jong Ju (Asan Mugunghwa FC), Ja-Cheol Koo (Augsburg), Jae-Sung Lee (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors/South Korea), Seung-Woo Lee (Hellas Verona), Seon-Min Moon (Incheon United/South Korea), Chung-Yong Lee (Crystal Palace)
Forwards : Shin-Wook Kim (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors/South Korea), Heung-Min Son (Tottenham) Hee-Chan Hwang (Red Bull Salzburg), Keun-Ho Lee (Gangwon FC/South Korea)