Team physician says injury is 'ordinary sprain level'; Bae Jun-ho also on track for return

South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo and players celebrate after their 2-1 comeback victory over Czech Republic in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Group A opener at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on Friday. [Yonhap]
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo and players celebrate after their 2-1 comeback victory over Czech Republic in the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Group A opener at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on Friday. [Yonhap]

Kim Tae-hyun, the Kashima Antlers center back whose injury had cast doubt over his entire group stage campaign, is expected to be available for South Korea's second match against Mexico, the national team said Saturday.

Kim could return to the pitch as early as June 19, when South Korea face Mexico in their second Group A match at Guadalajara Stadium.

Kim suffered the injury during training on June 10 after falling while taking part in a rondo passing drill. An MRI scan at a local hospital confirmed ligament damage, prompting a team official to say the following day that Kim might be unable to play in the group stage.

Team physician Dr. Song Jun-seop offered a more optimistic assessment in an interview with South Korean reporters Saturday. "The initial MRI confirmed a ligament tear, but the image quality was not clear enough to determine the exact severity," he said. "We focused on the bleeding and checked the swelling 24 hours later, and it was assessed as an ordinary sprain. I told the coaching staff there would be no problem for this World Cup."

Kim's return would restore depth to coach Hong Myung-bo's three-back defensive setup. He and Lee Gi-hyeok of Gangwon Province are the only left-footed stoppers in the squad.

Bae Jun-ho, who hurt his ankle in a friendly against Trinidad and Tobago at the pre-tournament camp in Salt Lake City, Utah, is also recovering well.

"The sprain grade is high," Dr. Song said, "but it has been nearly two weeks since the injury and he is in the recovery phase." The medical staff expect both players to be available around the second or third group stage match.

However, neither player will be rushed back. "If there is a recurrence here, they are out of the World Cup, so we are taking a very conservative, step-by-step approach," Dr. Song said.

South Korea held a recovery session Saturday morning at the Chivas Verde Valle training ground in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, a day after their dramatic 2-1 comeback win over Czech Republic that put them well on their way to the round of 32.

Players who had played the full match or logged heavy minutes against Czech Republic did a few laps of the pitch before heading indoors.

The 13 players who had been on the bench or seen limited action — including Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Cho Gue-sung (FC Midtjylland), Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic) and Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City) — went through light conditioning work before taking part in a small-sided game between two closely spaced goals.

South Korea sit second in Group A and face group leaders Mexico, who beat South Africa 2-0 on Friday, at 10 a.m. Friday at Guadalajara Stadium. A win would put South Korea top of the group and set up a favorable round-of-32 draw against the Group B runner-up in Los Angeles.


yjc@heraldcorp.com