







The Most Famous
SOCCER PLAYERS from North Korea
This page contains a list of the greatest North Korean Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 35 of which were born in North Korea. This makes North Korea the birth place of the 72nd most number of Soccer Players behind Venezuela, and Zambia.
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary North Korean Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous North Korean Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of North Korean Soccer Players.

1. Ri Kwang-hyok (b. 1987)
With an HPI of 73.04, Ri Kwang-hyok is the most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages on wikipedia.

2. Kim Kyong-il (b. 1988)
With an HPI of 73.04, Kim Kyong-il is the 2nd most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

3. Pak Sung-hyok (b. 1990)
With an HPI of 73.04, Pak Sung-hyok is the 3rd most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

4. Kim Myong-gil (b. 1984)
With an HPI of 73.01, Kim Myong-gil is the 4th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

5. Pak Chol-jin (b. 1985)
With an HPI of 73.01, Pak Chol-jin is the 5th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

6. Kim Yong-sik (1910 - 1985)
With an HPI of 70.19, Kim Yong-sik is the 6th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 53 different languages.
Kim Yong-sik (Korean: 김용식; Hanja: 金容植; 25 July 1910 – 8 March 1985) was a South Korean football player and manager. He is esteemed as the godfather of the South Korean football.

7. Lee Yoo-hyung (1911 - 2003)
With an HPI of 70.16, Lee Yoo-hyung is the 7th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages.
Lee Yoo-hyung (Korean: 이유형, 21 January 1911 – 29 January 2003) was a South Korean football player and manager. He has played for Japan national team and South Korea national team. He was part of South Korea's squad for the 1948 Summer Olympics, but he did not play in any matches. He also played Kyungsung FC. He started coaching career before the Korean War. After the war, he managed South Korea national football team several times.

8. Kim Sung-gan (1912 - 1984)
With an HPI of 67.79, Kim Sung-gan is the 8th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 48 different languages.
Kim Sung-gan (Korean: 김성간, 17 November 1912 – 19 May 1984) was a South Korean football player and manager. He played for Japan national team when Korea was ruled by Japan.

9. Pak Doo-ik (b. 1943)
With an HPI of 64.54, Pak Doo-ik is the 9th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.
Pak Doo-ik (Chosungul: 박두익; Hanja: 朴斗翼; born 17 December 1936) is a North Korean former footballer who played as a forward. He scored the goal which knocked out Italy from the group stage of the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

10. Pak Seung-zin (1941 - 2011)
With an HPI of 63.50, Pak Seung-zin is the 10th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Pak Seung-zin (a.k.a. Pak Sung Jin; 11 January 1941 – 5 August 2011) was a North Korean footballer. He represented North Korea at the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, scoring two goals, against Chile and Portugal. He was the first Asian footballer to score a goal in the World Cup.
People
Pantheon has 35 people classified as North Korean soccer players born between 1910 and 1998. Of these 35, 30 (85.71%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living North Korean soccer players include Ri Kwang-hyok, Kim Kyong-il, and Pak Sung-hyok. The most famous deceased North Korean soccer players include Kim Yong-sik, Lee Yoo-hyung, and Kim Sung-gan. As of April 2024, 35 new North Korean soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Ri Kwang-hyok, Kim Kyong-il, and Pak Sung-hyok.
Living North Korean Soccer Players
Go to all RankingsRi Kwang-hyok
1987 - Present
HPI: 73.04
Kim Kyong-il
1988 - Present
HPI: 73.04
Pak Sung-hyok
1990 - Present
HPI: 73.04
Kim Myong-gil
1984 - Present
HPI: 73.01
Pak Chol-jin
1985 - Present
HPI: 73.01
Pak Doo-ik
1943 - Present
HPI: 64.54
Li Dong-woon
1945 - Present
HPI: 62.80
Kim Jong-hun
1956 - Present
HPI: 60.13
Yang Song-guk
1944 - Present
HPI: 59.32
Im Shung-hwi
1946 - Present
HPI: 56.70
Li Chan-myung
1947 - Present
HPI: 56.20
Ji Yun-nam
1976 - Present
HPI: 55.65
Deceased North Korean Soccer Players
Go to all RankingsKim Yong-sik
1910 - 1985
HPI: 70.19
Lee Yoo-hyung
1911 - 2003
HPI: 70.16
Kim Sung-gan
1912 - 1984
HPI: 67.79
Pak Seung-zin
1941 - 2011
HPI: 63.50
Hong Deok-young
1926 - 2005
HPI: 57.07
Newly Added North Korean Soccer Players (2024)
Go to all RankingsRi Kwang-hyok
1987 - Present
HPI: 73.04
Kim Kyong-il
1988 - Present
HPI: 73.04
Pak Sung-hyok
1990 - Present
HPI: 73.04
Kim Myong-gil
1984 - Present
HPI: 73.01
Pak Chol-jin
1985 - Present
HPI: 73.01
Kim Yong-sik
1910 - 1985
HPI: 70.19
Lee Yoo-hyung
1911 - 2003
HPI: 70.16
Kim Sung-gan
1912 - 1984
HPI: 67.79
Pak Doo-ik
1943 - Present
HPI: 64.54
Pak Seung-zin
1941 - 2011
HPI: 63.50
Li Dong-woon
1945 - Present
HPI: 62.80
Kim Jong-hun
1956 - Present
HPI: 60.13
Overlapping Lives
Which Soccer Players were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Soccer Players since 1700.