Stoke City’s Bae Jun-ho gets first duty call for senior Korean squad
Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho received his first call-up to the senior national team on Monday, joining six other newcomers under interim manager Kim Do-hoon for two 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June. At 20, Bae is the only new midfielder in the 23-member roster, having earned his spot after an impressive 2023-24 Championship season with two goals and five assists in 38 matches. FC Machida Zelvia forward Oh Se-hoon, 25, also received his first senior team call-up, boasting six goals in 16 J1 League matches as of Monday.
The defense sees four new additions: Ha Chang-rae from Nagoya Grampus, Park Seung-wook from Gimcheon Sangmu, Hwang Jae-won from Daegu FC, and Choi Jun from FC Seoul. They join returning defenders Kwon Kyung-won of Suwon FC, Cho Yu-min of Sharjah FC, Kim Jin-su of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, and Lee Myung-jae of Ulsan. Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae is absent due to a left ankle injury, and regular fullback Seol Young-woo of Ulsan is also missing as he rehabilitates a shoulder injury.
