Lee Dong-kyung (27, Gimcheon Commerce) has been heating up the K League 1 early this season. He got off to an uncharacteristic start with four goals and two assists in March, then followed that up with three goals and three assists in April, earning him Player of the Month honors for the second straight month. After loan spells with Schalke 04 and Hannover Rostock (both in Germany) from January 2022 to June last year, he returned to his hometown club Ulsan HD to showcase his talents.
However, his time in Ulsan was short-lived. On April 29, he enlisted in the army and now plays for Gimcheon. It was easy for him to lose his momentum, but after four weeks of basic military training, he started all over again. Slowly and silently, he improved his physical strength and senses to play the game, and eventually got back on track. On July 14 against 바카라사이트 Jeonbuk Hyundai (4-0 win), he scored his first goal for Gimcheon, ending a five-match goal drought. On July 25, he showed his ‘different’ skills again with a volley against Daejeon Hana Citizens (2-2 draw).
He also expressed confidence in his recent physical condition: “I had difficulty improving my condition after the basic military training. But I talked a lot with the manager and coaches and increased my training volume little by little,” he said, adding, ”Personally, I feel very good.” Gimcheon, which slipped to fourth place (13 wins, 8 draws, 7 losses, 47 points) last month after the departure of key players such as Kim Hyun-wook and Won Doo-jae, is pinning its hopes on Lee’s toes.
His steady efforts have led to a call-up to the national team. He has been named in the squad for the first match of Group B of the Asian final qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America, which will be held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium next month on June 5 against Palestine, and the second match against Oman in Muscat on June 10.
This is his chance to make his mark on the national team. The mindset is very different from the last time he was called up to the squad, in September last year for the two friendlies against Wales and Saudi Arabia. He was called up to Jürgen Klinsmann’s (Germany) squad as a replacement for the injured Lee Kang-In (Paris Saint-Germain), but he was not called up and never established himself as a regular. But now that he’s developed into one of the best left-footed playmakers in the K League, he’s hoping to become a regular part of the national team.
Of course, Lee has plenty of competition for the No. 2 spot in the national team, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz). But he’s not intimidated. “I’m happy to be selected to the national team again after about a year, and I’ll show my strengths while dedicating myself to the team,” Lee said, adding, ”I want to prove to people why I was selected to the national team.”