Football commentator Park Moon-sung said Hwang Hee-chan of Schalke 04 could be left out of the November national team squad on the basis of form and positional competition alone, setting aside the various controversies that have recently surrounded the forward.
Speaking in a video published Tuesday on the YouTube channel Dalsu-ne Live, Park said: "Even putting public opinion aside, Hwang could still not be called up. I'm not saying this because of the controversy. There are players like Eom Ji-sung, Bae Jun-ho and Kim Min-su — who was also selected last time — competing for that spot. When you look purely at Hwang's current form and the competition at that position, there are simply a lot of good players who can play there."
He added: "I'm talking purely about ability, nothing else."
Park had made a similar point in an earlier squad analysis, emphasizing the depth of talent in the second line of attack. Last month, also on Dalsu-ne Live, he explained why Lee Seung-woo had been left out of the squad, saying: "It is very hard to break into that position unless you are performing at a genuinely high level."
At the time, Lee Kang-in, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Kim Min-su, Song Min-kyu, Lee Dong-gyeong and Jeong Seung-won were all cited as contenders. With Son Heung-min also capable of playing wide or centrally, Park argued that attacking talent alone was not enough to guarantee a place. He acknowledged Lee Seung-woo's offensive qualities but pointed to the physical duels and defensive work required on the international stage.
The national team, led by interim head coach Roberto Moreno, will announce its November A-match squad in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on Thursday. South Korea will then face Saudi Arabia on Nov. 13 at 11:30 p.m. and Qatar on Nov. 17 at 11 p.m.
Both matches will be held in Doha, Qatar, serving as a chance to acclimatize to Middle Eastern conditions and fine-tune tactical combinations ahead of the 2027 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.
The two matches will also be the last of Moreno's contracted tenure as interim head coach.
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