Defender initially feared out of group stage; Bae Jun-ho also recovering well from pre-tournament injury

Lee Kang-in dribbles and gestures to Son Heung-min during South Korea's 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A opener against the Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]
Lee Kang-in dribbles and gestures to Son Heung-min during South Korea's 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A opener against the Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on Wednesday. [Yonhap]

[The Herald Business = Jung Yoon-hee] South Korea's World Cup squad received an encouraging injury update after their thrilling comeback victory over the Czech Republic on Friday — center back Kim Tae-hyun of Kashima Antlers, who had been placed on the injury list, is expected to return to the pitch sooner than initially feared.

According to Yonhap News Agency and the Korean national football team, Kim, who injured his ankle in training two days before the Czech Republic match, could be available as early as the second group-stage game against Mexico.

The initial prognosis had been far grimmer. An MRI scan at a local hospital confirmed a ligament tear, raising the possibility that he would miss the entire group stage.

Kim fell during a rondo passing drill at training on Tuesday. A team official said the following day that he "may have difficulty playing in the group stage."

But team physician Dr. Song Jun-seop, speaking to reporters on Saturday, offered a more optimistic assessment. "The first 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 — it was assessed as a typical sprain. So I told the coaching staff there would be no problem for this World Cup."

Kim's return would restore versatility to coach Hong Myung-bo's three-man defensive line.

Kim and Lee Ki-hyeok of Gangwon Province are the only left-footed stoppers in the squad.

Bae Jun-ho, who twisted his ankle after a rough tackle in a pre-tournament friendly against Trinidad and Tobago at the team's training camp in Salt Lake City, Utah, is also making steady progress.

Dr. Song noted that Bae's sprain was "high-grade" but added that "it has been nearly two weeks since the injury and he is in the recovery phase."

The medical staff expects both players to be available by the second or third group-stage match.

Having secured a 2-1 comeback win over the Czech Republic on Friday, Hong's side held a recovery session Saturday morning at the Chivas Verde Valle training ground in Zapopan, near Guadalajara.

Players who had played the full 90 minutes or logged heavy minutes jogged a few laps around the pitch before heading indoors.

Thirteen 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, currently second in Group A, face Mexico — who beat South Africa 2-0 on Friday — in their second match at Guadalajara Stadium at 10 a.m. on Friday. A win would put them on the verge of first place in the group and a favorable draw in the round of 32.


yuni@heraldcorp.com