Profile of 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup Participants: South Korea, Breaks Quarter-Final Curse

The South Korean U-17 national team hopes to break the curse of the U-17 World Cup quarter-finals. (FIFA)

JAKARTA - At the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup Indonesia, South Korea came to Indonesia with the status of a FIFA U-17 World Cup finalist for the second time in a row. The Taegeuk Warriors squad is in Group E with the United States, Burkina Faso and France.

The success of creating a system for developing quality young athletes has led South Korea to ensure a place in the U-17 World Cup for the second time in a row. This time they are targeting their visit to Indonesia as an unforgettable trip.

South Korea's steps in Indonesia will begin with the Group E preliminary match which will take place at the Jakarta International Stadium.

The match will start on November 12 2023 by hosting the United States. Then on November 15 2023 they will be hosted by France at the Jakarta International Stadium. And the final match on November 18 was hosted by Burkina Faso at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung.

South Korea's performance at the 2023 AFC U-17 Asian Cup in Thailand far exceeded expectations. Achieving two wins from three group stage matches, brought this team to second place behind Iran, and into the quarter-finals.

A convincing 4-1 victory over the hosts, took them through to the last four and officially held a ticket to the U-17 World Cup.

A narrow 1-0 victory over Uzbekistan took South Korea to the final. In the final, South Korea lost 3-0 to eternal rivals, Japan.

In Indonesia, the Taegeuk Warriors are led by coach Byun Sung-hwan, a former K-League player who has consistently pursued a brilliant coaching career.

Hwan started his coaching career in 2015, as head coach of the Seongnam FC U-12 team. He then moved up to the U-15 team the following year, before becoming assistant coach with the senior team. In 2018, he became a permanent coach at KFA and began his work with the national team.

In the 2023 Indonesian U-17 World Cup, the Taegeuk Warriors have Yun Do-yong, a player with a small but agile body.

Do-yong has a left foot that is said to be magical, so he is often compared to Paris Saint-Germain player and senior team star, Lee Kang-in. Do-yong was born in 2006, and is currently a member of the South Korean U-17 national team.

Do-yong has good dribbling and finishing abilities. He managed to score four goals and one assist in the U-17 Asian Cup last June.

A score that took him to second place as the top scorer. A deadly left-footed shot is the team's first choice for set-piece situations, whether to score directly or provide an assist.

In the U-17 World Cup, South Korea appeared for the first time in 1987 when it was held in Canada. South Korea then hosted the 2007 event, but had to be eliminated in the group stage, despite receiving full support from supporters.

In the last edition, or four years ago in Brazil, the team which was strengthened by Eom Ji-sung from Gwangju FC and Jeong Sang-bin from Minnesota United, managed to make history by reaching the quarter-finals.

However, in the end they had to admit Mexico's greatness 1-0 and failed to advance to the last four.