Footballer Lee Tae-suk to play in A-match after his father

Lee Tae-suk (22), Korea's national soccer team defender, played as a substitute in the match against Kuwait on November 12, A-match in the third Asian preliminary qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It made him the third Korean national football player whose father also played in the A-match. Lee is the son of Lee Eul-yong (49), incumbent director of Yongin City Football Center and former key national football player who played during the 2002 Korea-Japan FIFA World Cup when Korea made it to the semifinals.

Lee made his A-match debut in the 64th minute of the Kuwait game, substituting for Lee Myung-jae. Wearing the same No. 13 jersey his father donned during his national team days, Lee played as a left-back. Lee said that he did not know he would play as a substitute for the match and was pleasantly surprised by the opportunity. He also noted that his father supported him during the call after the match, saying that he did well in his first A-match. The father made his A-match debut in March 1999 at the age of 24 during a friendly against Brazil. The son's A-match debut took place two years earlier than his father at the age of 22. A midfielder, the former national footballer Lee played in 51 A-matches and scored three goals.

Lee was picked for the first time to join the adult national team when he was included in the lineup for the two consecutive matches in November for the third Asian preliminary rounds. Team Korea's coach, Hong Myung-bo, commented on Lee's first A-match performance, saying that he did well even though he entered the game at a challenging moment, but he did pretty well overall. Lee began his professional career in 2021 at K-League 1 FC Seoul and transferred to Pohang this August mid-season. He played in a total of 100 matches in K-League 1 (scoring one goal and six assists).


김정훈 기자 hun@donga.com