Kim Jeong-hwan (26), a talent who was noticed by the Spanish prestigious Atletico Madrid, is moving to Busan.
“Kim Jong-hwan will leave Seoul Land and move to Busan I-Park,” multiple transfer market sources said.
Born in 1997, Kim joined FC Seoul in 2016 after playing for Dogokcho, Baekamjung, and Shingalgo. During his time at Shingalgo, he attracted a lot of attention as a winger with dribbling ability and technique, and was recognized for his contributions to not only the offense but also the defense.
During his time at Shingalgo, Kim Jung-hwan received interest from Spanish La Liga side Atletico Madrid. Although he received a specific offer, he chose to pursue the challenge in Korea and donned the Seoul jersey.
However, he only played in one K League 1 match in 2016, his debut season, and mostly played in the R League. In 2017, he didn’t make it to the K League 1, but he got his chance in the R League, scoring five goals and providing four assists in 18 games.
In 2018, Kim tried again, leaving Seoul for Gwangju, who were in the K League 2 at the time. In the second tier, he was immediately given a chance and over the next two seasons, he scored eight goals and four assists in 45 games for Gwangju, winning the 2019 title and becoming a member of the promotion squad.
After playing 11 games in the K League 1 in 2020, with two goals and two assists, Kim became a free agent and signed with Seoul Eland the following year. 메이저놀이터
In his two-and-a-half seasons with the club, Kim has scored nine goals and provided five assists in 68 K League 2 games. However, this season under Park Chung-gyun, he hasn’t recorded an offensive point in 12 games.
Kim was also a member of the U-19 national team under Ahn Ik-soo. His performances as a youngster earned him a call-up to the age-group squad and a spot in the 2016 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Championship. However, he was unable to qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea.
Kim’s second chance came with the U-23 national team under Kim Hak-bum, where he was named to the qualifying squad for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship and played against Cambodia. However, he did not make it to the final round in Thailand.
Meanwhile, Busan, where Kim will be joining, is currently in third place in the K League 2 (9 wins, 7 draws, 3 losses, 34 points) and is in a title race with Gyeongnam and Gimcheon Sangmu. With Park Jin-seop in his first full season in charge, Busan is looking for its first promotion in three years after being relegated to the bottom of the table in the 2020 season.