Koreans abroad: a look at how korean players in england and germany fared over the past season
By Steve Price
With the European leagues starting their summer breaks, we take a look at how the Koreans playing in the English and German leagues got on over the last year.
Son Heung-Min (Bayer Leverkusen)
Son Heung-Min’s second season at Bayer Leverkusen proved why many top clubs are looking at him this summer. He scored a total of seventeen goals in all competitions, which from a wide position is very impressive. This season started with controversy as Leverkusen refused to release Son for the Asian Games, meaning that he missed the opportunity to win a gold medal that would allow him to avoid military service. Fans will probably remember his hat-trick against Wolfsburg, which unfortunately wasn’t enough for Bayer Leverkusen to get anything out of the game as they ended up losing 5-4. Leverkusen finished in fourth place and will have to win a play-off to be in next season’s Champions’ League group stage. Whether Son will still be with them remains to be seen.
Ki Seung-Yong (Swansea City)
After being surplus to requirements in South Wales last season, Ki Seung-Yong showed his worth as he helped keep Sunderland in the Premier League. This time around, his return to Swansea helped them achieve a remarkable eighth place finish and helped Ki win the Player of the Season award at the same time. This season, Ki also found his scoring boots, hitting the net against Manchester United in the opening game of the season and scoring eight goals in total. He had a minor operation on his knee at the end of the season but should be fit in time for pre-season training.
Yun Suk-Young (Queen's Park Rangers)
It has been a season of ups and downs for Yun Suk-Young as he finally became a regular in the Queen’s Park Rangers squad, but eventually suffered relegation. Yun broke into the QPR squad in October but injured his ankle against West Brom in December causing him to miss the January fixtures. His performances were okay but not outstanding in a poor QPR team.
Lee Chung-Yong (Bolton Wanderers and Crystal Palace)
After being remodelled from a winger into a central midfielder, Lee performed well for Bolton at the start of the season, earning him a move back into the Premier League with Crystal Palace. For a player who has been so unfortunate with injuries in his career, it came as another blow when Lee fractured his leg against Oman in the Asian Cup. Lee Chung-Yong eventually made his Crystal Palace debut against Hull City at the end of April but by that time Palace had little to play for.
Ji Dong-Won (Borussia Dortmund and Augsburg)
The last two seasons have been bizarre for the Korean striker. First was the spell at Sunderland where the player was ineligible to play, then was the shock transfer to Borussia Dortmund where he was immediately loaned to Augsburg. This season he was transferred from Dortmund to Augsburg without even playing a game for Die Schwarzgelben. In the end he didn’t have a particularly successful season, only making ten appearances and failing to score for Augsburg. His new club however did very well, finishing in fifth place and qualifying for next season’s Europa League.
Park Joo-Ho (Mainz 05)
Park Joo-Ho endured a bit of a stop-start season as injuries and national team call-ups limited him to 18 appearances in all competitions for Mainz who experimented with him as a defensive midfielder early in the season before Park returned to his usual left-back role. When he did play he was competent and assured as Mainz achieved a respectable mid-table position.
Kim Bo-Kyung (Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic)
Kim Bo-Kyung’s fall from the Premier League has been swift. After Malky Mackay’s sacking at Cardiff, Kim found his chances to break into the squad severely limited. In December he took up the offer to join-up with his former manager at Wigan, choosing to ignore the alleged racist remarks that Mackay made against him while at Cardiff. Kim instead said that he was thankful for Mackay helping him integrate into English culture. He played seventeen games for Wigan in the second half of the season, scoring two goals. Unfortunately his reunion with his former manager didn’t prevent Wigan from getting relegated, meaning that Kim Bo-Kyung could be playing in England’s third tier next season.
Koo Ja-Cheol (Mainz 05)
Despite struggling with a calf injury at the start of the season, Koo went on to have one of his more productive seasons for Mainz, scoring seven goals in all competitions and playing 26 matches for the mid-table side. He proved his versatility, playing in different positions across the midfield over the course of the season. Koo missed out on much of the Asian cup after getting injured in the group match against Australia.
Hong Jeong-Ho (Augsburg)
The Augsburg defender only managed seventeen starts for the club as injury curtailed what was supposed to be his break-out season. He was rated quite highly for the games that he was involved in. Augsburg’s success this season means that he will have a chance to play in the Europa League next season.
Kim Jin-Su (1899 Hoffenheim)
The young left back made his debut season in Europe this year after moving from Albirex Niigata to Hoffenheim over the summer. After missing the first three months of the season with injuries, Kim managed to break into the Hoffenheim first team where he remained for most of the season. He also broke into the National Team for the Asian Cup where he played in every match.
Son Heung-Min (Bayer Leverkusen)
Son Heung-Min’s second season at Bayer Leverkusen proved why many top clubs are looking at him this summer. He scored a total of seventeen goals in all competitions, which from a wide position is very impressive. This season started with controversy as Leverkusen refused to release Son for the Asian Games, meaning that he missed the opportunity to win a gold medal that would allow him to avoid military service. Fans will probably remember his hat-trick against Wolfsburg, which unfortunately wasn’t enough for Bayer Leverkusen to get anything out of the game as they ended up losing 5-4. Leverkusen finished in fourth place and will have to win a play-off to be in next season’s Champions’ League group stage. Whether Son will still be with them remains to be seen.
Ki Seung-Yong (Swansea City)
After being surplus to requirements in South Wales last season, Ki Seung-Yong showed his worth as he helped keep Sunderland in the Premier League. This time around, his return to Swansea helped them achieve a remarkable eighth place finish and helped Ki win the Player of the Season award at the same time. This season, Ki also found his scoring boots, hitting the net against Manchester United in the opening game of the season and scoring eight goals in total. He had a minor operation on his knee at the end of the season but should be fit in time for pre-season training.
Yun Suk-Young (Queen's Park Rangers)
It has been a season of ups and downs for Yun Suk-Young as he finally became a regular in the Queen’s Park Rangers squad, but eventually suffered relegation. Yun broke into the QPR squad in October but injured his ankle against West Brom in December causing him to miss the January fixtures. His performances were okay but not outstanding in a poor QPR team.
Lee Chung-Yong (Bolton Wanderers and Crystal Palace)
After being remodelled from a winger into a central midfielder, Lee performed well for Bolton at the start of the season, earning him a move back into the Premier League with Crystal Palace. For a player who has been so unfortunate with injuries in his career, it came as another blow when Lee fractured his leg against Oman in the Asian Cup. Lee Chung-Yong eventually made his Crystal Palace debut against Hull City at the end of April but by that time Palace had little to play for.
Ji Dong-Won (Borussia Dortmund and Augsburg)
The last two seasons have been bizarre for the Korean striker. First was the spell at Sunderland where the player was ineligible to play, then was the shock transfer to Borussia Dortmund where he was immediately loaned to Augsburg. This season he was transferred from Dortmund to Augsburg without even playing a game for Die Schwarzgelben. In the end he didn’t have a particularly successful season, only making ten appearances and failing to score for Augsburg. His new club however did very well, finishing in fifth place and qualifying for next season’s Europa League.
Park Joo-Ho (Mainz 05)
Park Joo-Ho endured a bit of a stop-start season as injuries and national team call-ups limited him to 18 appearances in all competitions for Mainz who experimented with him as a defensive midfielder early in the season before Park returned to his usual left-back role. When he did play he was competent and assured as Mainz achieved a respectable mid-table position.
Kim Bo-Kyung (Cardiff City and Wigan Athletic)
Kim Bo-Kyung’s fall from the Premier League has been swift. After Malky Mackay’s sacking at Cardiff, Kim found his chances to break into the squad severely limited. In December he took up the offer to join-up with his former manager at Wigan, choosing to ignore the alleged racist remarks that Mackay made against him while at Cardiff. Kim instead said that he was thankful for Mackay helping him integrate into English culture. He played seventeen games for Wigan in the second half of the season, scoring two goals. Unfortunately his reunion with his former manager didn’t prevent Wigan from getting relegated, meaning that Kim Bo-Kyung could be playing in England’s third tier next season.
Koo Ja-Cheol (Mainz 05)
Despite struggling with a calf injury at the start of the season, Koo went on to have one of his more productive seasons for Mainz, scoring seven goals in all competitions and playing 26 matches for the mid-table side. He proved his versatility, playing in different positions across the midfield over the course of the season. Koo missed out on much of the Asian cup after getting injured in the group match against Australia.
Hong Jeong-Ho (Augsburg)
The Augsburg defender only managed seventeen starts for the club as injury curtailed what was supposed to be his break-out season. He was rated quite highly for the games that he was involved in. Augsburg’s success this season means that he will have a chance to play in the Europa League next season.
Kim Jin-Su (1899 Hoffenheim)
The young left back made his debut season in Europe this year after moving from Albirex Niigata to Hoffenheim over the summer. After missing the first three months of the season with injuries, Kim managed to break into the Hoffenheim first team where he remained for most of the season. He also broke into the National Team for the Asian Cup where he played in every match.
