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Robert Moreno, appointed interim manager of the South Korean men's national football team, speaks during a press conference held at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on the 14th. / Yonhap

A substantial contingent of K League players, including Jeong Seung-won and Gu Sung-yun of FC Seoul, have earned spots in manager Robert Moreno's inaugural national squad.

Robert Moreno, interim manager of the South Korean men's national football team, held an inauguration press conference at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on the afternoon of the 14th to announce his 30-man roster for four international friendlies scheduled across September and October.

According to the roster released that day, core Europe- and overseas-based players including Son Heung-min (LAFC), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke), and Lee Kang-in (Atlético Madrid) were included as anticipated. Alongside them, a total of 12 K League players were selected, led by Jeong Seung-won—who has been in stellar form in K League 1—as well as Gu Sung-yun, Kim Gun-hee (Incheon), Park Tae-jun (Gimcheon), Kim Bong-soo (Daejeon), and Kim Tae-hyeon (Jeonbuk). Among them, Kim Gun-hee and Park Tae-jun celebrated their first-ever senior national team call-ups, while Scotland-based overseas player Kim Min-su (Rangers) also donned the Taegeuk Warriors uniform for the first time.

Compared to the 2026 FIFA World Cup roster, 11 new faces entered the team while seven players were omitted, including members called up for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games such as Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City), and Lee Gi-hyuk (Gangwon FC). Lee Seung-woo (Jeonbuk), who had been widely expected alongside fellow K League star Jeong Seung-won to receive Moreno's call, was once again left off the roster.

Manager Moreno stated, "Beginning with an analysis of a database covering approximately 1,700 Korean players, I established the match model, playing style, and player profiles that best suit Korean football to make these selections. Performance comes first. Present form, rather than past achievements, will provide the opportunity to be called up to the national team."

Team Moreno will face Ecuador at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 24th and Uruguay at Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 28th. Next month, the team will play Venezuela at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on October 2 and Uzbekistan at Yongin Mireu Stadium on October 6.

South Korea Men's National Football Team Roster for September-October Friendlies (30 players):

GK: Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan), Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo), Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk), Gu Sung-yun (FC Seoul)

DF: Seol Young-woo (Augsburg), Choi Jun (FC Seoul), Kim Tae-hyeon (Jeonbuk), Lee Han-beom (Club Brugge), Cho Wi-je (Jeonbuk), Kim Gun-hee (Incheon), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Kim Tae-hyeon (Kashima Antlers), Cho Hyun-taek (Ulsan), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Wien)

MF: Park Jin-seob (Zhejiang), Kim Bong-soo (Daejeon), Hwang In-beom (Porto), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Park Tae-jun (Gimcheon), Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham), Lee Kang-in (Atlético Madrid), Jeong Seung-won (FC Seoul), Kim Min-su (Rangers), Song Min-kyu (Nacional), Hwang Hee-chan (Schalke)

FW: Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Dong-gyeong (Ulsan), Oh Hyeon-gyu (Beşiktaş), Cho Gue-sung (Midtjylland), Oh Se-hun (Shimizu S-Pulse)

                                                                                                          Cho Seong-joon