For the first time on the national team, Kang Sang-yoon (21, Jeonbuk Hyundai) delivered a confident statement with a trembling voice.

The South Korea men's football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, held a training camp on the afternoon of 4th at Seongnam Sports Complex in preparation for the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup).

The tournament is now just around the corner. The national team will face China in the opening match of the East Asian Cup at Yongin Mir Stadium at 8 p.m. on 7th. They will then clash with Hong Kong on 11th and Japan on 15th. The final ranking will be determined based on the results of the three matches.

This East Asian Cup also marks the first official schedule for the Hong Myung-bo team in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America next summer. Korea secured its spot in the World Cup finals for the 12th time overall and 11th consecutive time by finishing first in the third round of qualifying in Asia last month.

For domestic players, this is an opportunity to nurture their dreams of the World Cup. The East Asian Cup is not held during the FIFA-sanctioned A match period, making it impossible to call up European players, and Middle East players have also decided not to join.

Due to this, head coach Hong Myung-bo finalized a roster of 26 players, including 23 K League players (22 from the first division and 1 from the second division) and 3 J League players from Japan. Among them, 9 are making their first appearance on the national team. Lee Ho-jae (Pohang), Byeon Jun-soo (Gwangju), Seo Myung-kwan (Ulsan), Seo Min-woo, Mo Jae-hyun (both Gangwon), Lee Seung-won (Gimcheon), Kang Sang-yoon, Kim Tae-hyun (both Jeonbuk), and Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima) have donned the Taegeuk mark for the first time.

The youngest, Kang Sang-yoon, expressed his feelings of achieving his dream in a trembling voice. The last player called up, he said, "When I started playing football, my goal was to join the national team. I was hopeful at first, but unfortunately, I was not selected. So, I trained hard and was thrilled to be added. Since it's a precious opportunity, I plan to approach it with more eagerness."

Kang Sang-yoon has already treated his Jeonbuk seniors to coffee. He said, "I found out about my selection on the internet just as our training was finishing. The seniors told me to buy them food and coffee. I bought the group coffee first. I’ll think about the food later," he smiled.

What did the experienced Jeonbuk players say to him? Kang Sang-yoon recounted, "The seniors were hoping I would be selected at first. They were disappointed when I wasn't, but they encouraged me to try again in the future. Now that I've been added, they advised me to go confidently and play."

Kang Sang-yoon is being seen as a candidate to become the 'second Lee Jae-sung'. He said, "He is a senior I have always watched since I was in the Jeonbuk youth team. I am grateful just to be mentioned in the same breath. He reached out to me this time, too, saying he would congratulate me and keep an eye on me. That motivation makes me want to do even better," he shyly smiled.

What does Kang Sang-yoon think his strengths are? He stated, "My strengths are my ball control ability and my capacity to create numerical superiority both in attacking and defending. It seems that head coach Hong Myung-bo thinks positively about those aspects. I plan to demonstrate this during training and matches."

Although young, Kang Sang-yoon has now donned the Taegeuk mark. When asked to counter the notion that he might be too young to challenge for next year's World Cup, he confidently replied, "Rather than talking about it, I think demonstrating it on the training field and if given the opportunity, showcasing it in games will be a good counter. "

He also revealed the advice given by Jeonbuk coach Gus Poyet. Kang Sang-yoon said, "The coach told me to greet everyone well once I join the national team. He said to greet the seniors, the coach, and all the coaching staff, and to follow (Park) Jin-seob around. He encouraged me to play confidently and enjoy my time there."

The national team has Jeonbuk players Jeon Jin-woo, Kim Jin-kyu, Park Jin-seob, and Kim Tae-hyun. Did the seniors take good care of him? Kang Sang-yoon made everyone laugh with his reply: "I don’t know," before adding, "We did recovery training yesterday, and now we have our first training. I think they will take good care of me now."

[Photo] Provided by Korea Football Association.

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