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, 33 of which were born in North Korea. This makes North Korea the birth place of the 68th most number of Soccer Players behind New Zealand, and Venezuela.

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. Lee Yoo-hyung (1911 - 2003)

With an HPI of 60.16, Lee Yoo-hyung is the most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 50 different languages on wikipedia.

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.

2. Kim Yong-sik (1910 - 1985)

With an HPI of 59.04, Kim Yong-sik is the 2nd 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.

3. Kim Sung-gan (1912 - 1984)

With an HPI of 56.36, Kim Sung-gan is the 3rd most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Kim Sung-gan (Korean: 김성간, November 17, 1912 – May 19, 1984) was a South Korean footballer. Born in Pyongyang (known at the time as "Heijō"), he played for Japan national team in 1940. He died on May 29, 1984, in a traffic collision.

4. Pak Doo-ik (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 55.74, Pak Doo-ik is the 4th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 24 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 is well known for being the footballer who scored the goal which knocked out Italy from the group stage of the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

5. Pak Seung-zin (1941 - 2011)

With an HPI of 52.16, Pak Seung-zin is the 5th 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 finals.

6. Yang Song-guk (b. 1944)

With an HPI of 50.72, Yang Song-guk is the 6th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Yang Song-guk (Korean: 양성국; born 19 August 1944) is a North Korean football forward who played for North Korea in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. There he scored against Portugal in the Quarter-finals at Goodison Park. He also played for Kigwancha Pyongyang. He also competed in the men's tournament at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

7. Kim Jong-hun (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 45.69, Kim Jong-hun is the 7th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Kim Jong-hun (김정훈; born September 1, 1956) is a retired North Korean footballer and football manager. He served as head coach of the North Korea national team, and managed them at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

8. Li Dong-woon (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 45.19, Li Dong-woon is the 8th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Li Dong-Woon (born 4 July 1945) is a North Korean football forward who played for North Korea in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. There he scored against Portugal in the Quarter-finals at Goodison Park. He played club football for Rodongja and for Pyongyang, after the former club was absorbed by the latter.

9. Li Chan-myung (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 44.51, Li Chan-myung is the 9th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Li Chan-myung (a.k.a. Ri Chan Myong; Korean: 리찬명; born 2 January 1947) is a North Korean former football goalkeeper who played for North Korea in the 1966 FIFA World Cup. He also played for Kigwancha Sports Club, which is based in Sinuiju.

10. Hong Deok-young (1926 - 2005)

With an HPI of 43.30, Hong Deok-young is the 10th most famous North Korean Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Hong Deok-young (Korean: 홍덕영; Hanja: 洪德永; 5 May 1926 – 13 September 2005) was a South Korean football player, manager and referee. He was one of the first South Koreans to be capped for their country at international level. He was the goalkeeper of the South Korean national team for the 1948 Summer Olympics, 1954 FIFA World Cup and 1954 Asian Games. After retiring, he became an international football referee from 1957 to 1967. In later life, Hong went blind due to complication of diabetes mellitus, which already had an impact on his eyesight during his professional years, requiring him to wear glasses on the pitch. He died on 13 September 2005.

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 Pak Doo-ik, Yang Song-guk, and Kim Jong-hun. The most famous deceased North Korean soccer players include Lee Yoo-hyung, Kim Yong-sik, and Kim Sung-gan. As of April 2024, 5 new North Korean soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Li Dong-woon, Li Chan-myung, and Hong Deok-young.