Captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Um Ji-sung (Swansea) all collapsed before his turn returned. It was a hard-won opportunity to return to the national team, but Lee Seung-woo (Jeonbuk Hyundai) quietly headed to Yongin with gratitude.스포츠토토

The Korea Football Association selected Lee Seung-woo and Moon Sun-min (Jeonbuk) as substitutes for Hwang Hee-chan and Um Ji-sung, who were out due to injuries on the 12th. 

Earlier, Hwang Hee-chan played in the third Asian qualifying match for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Jordan on the 10th, but collapsed after being caught in his left ankle by a rough tackle from his opponent. Hwang Hee-chan, who left the ground on the coaching staff, later went home in a wheelchair. On top of that, even the thumb-sung, who was replaced, fell due to injury. 

In response, the Korean national soccer team called Lee Seung-woo and Moon Seon-min to Yongin. In particular, it is the first time in five years and four months that Lee Seung-woo joined the national team since June 2019. Moon, who came with him, will join the national team once again for the first time in eight months since the Asian Cup early this year. 

Lee Seung-woo, who played for FC Barcelona Youth from 2011 to 2017, has since played for Elas Verona FC, Sintrawidan VV, Suwon FC, and Jeonbuk. 

Lee made the substitution list for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in 2018 under Paulo Bento and was listed on the A-match list until 2019. However, he mostly played as a substitute and did not have many chances. Jurgen Klinsmann, Bento's successor, did not recruit Lee. His name was not called even under the interim coaches Hwang Sun-hong and Kim Do-hoon. 

The opportunity to re-attach the national team, which did not come easily, came suddenly only when Hong Myung-bo was the coach.

After learning about his selection for the national team only late in the afternoon on Wednesday, Lee and Moon bought a standing ticket for the KTX train and rushed back. Since there was no seat to sit down, Lee said with a smile at the press conference, "I came here quietly with my carrier in the backseat." 

"It would be the best if I could participate in the national team training, but I hope I can make many good memories in this event. If I get the chance, I will do my best. I have been waiting for this moment," Lee said in a press conference ahead of his training session on Wednesday.

During the past two years, Lee has played for Suwon FC and Jeonbuk, displaying stellar performance on the Korean stage. For Suwon FC, he has played in 89 matches, scoring 34 goals and eight assists for more than two seasons. 

"I didn't have time to think about it until the North-China World Cup," Lee said. "I just kept on going, thinking that I would be able to make it somehow. I came to this special place after a long time," Lee said. "I just want to do my best. I want to prepare well and show everything that I can show."

The South Korean national soccer team will play the fourth Group B match against Iraq in the third Asian qualifying round for the North Korea-China-U.S. World Cup at 8 p.m. on the 15th at Yongin Mir Stadium.