Han Kwang-song, a North Korean national soccer player who was called ‘the people’s Ronaldo’ and suddenly disappeared while playing at the top stage in Europe, appeared in an international match for the first time in three years.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 17th, Han Kwang-sung played in the second qualifying match in the Asian region for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup between North Korea and Syria held at the Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia the day before.
Han Gwang-seong started wearing the number 10 jersey and played the first half as a left attacker before being replaced. On this day, Syria won the game 1-0. 먹튀검증사이트
Previously, Han Kwang-sung went to Spain to study soccer in accordance with Chairman Kim Jong-un’s plan to become a ‘sports powerhouse’.
After excelling locally, he officially joined the youth club of Cagliari, a member of Italy’s first division Seria A, in 2017.
Han Gwang-seong, who was later promoted to the pro ranks and made his official debut, scored his first goal in a week.
Han Kwang-sung attracted the attention of soccer fans by showing off his fast dribbling in the first soccer match between North and South Korea in 29 years held in Pyongyang in 2019.
After being loaned to the Perugia club, he transferred to Juventus, one of the prestigious teams in Seria A, in 2020.
Afterwards, Han Kwang-seong was sold to Qatar’s Al Duhail club, but Al Duhail was evaluated as having been recognized for his value by paying a transfer fee of $4.6 million (approximately 5.9 billion won) for five years from the 2023 to 2024 season.
However, Han Kwang-sung suddenly disappeared after playing in the last game of the season against Al-Ahli in August 2020.
Afterwards, Han Gwang-seong appeared on the field again for the first time in three years by playing in the international match against Syria on the 16th. It has been four years since Han Gwang-seong played in an A match (match between national teams) since the second round of the World Cup Asia region qualifiers in November 2019.
Some also raised concerns that Han Kwang-sung may have been expelled after his contract with Al-Duhail ended due to the influence of UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea.