Hwang Sun-hong facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hwang Sun-hong

Hwang in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Hwang Sun-hong
Date of birth	(1968-07-14) 14 July 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth	Yesan, Chungnam, South Korea
Height	1.83 m
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Daejeon Hana Citizen (manager)
Youth career
	Seoul Yongmoon Middle School
	Seoul Yongmoon High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1991–1992	Bayer Leverkusen II	24	(16)
1992–1993	Wuppertaler SV	9	(3)
1993–1998	Pohang Steelers	52	(26)
1998–1999	Cerezo Osaka	36	(30)
2000	Suwon Samsung Bluewings	0	(0)
2000	→ Kashiwa Reysol (loan)	0	(0)
2000–2002	Kashiwa Reysol	34	(12)
2002	Jeonnam Dragons	0	(0)
Total		155	(87)
National team
1996	South Korea U23	4	(0)
1988–2002	South Korea	103	(50)
Teams managed
2008–2010	Busan IPark
2011–2015	Pohang Steelers
2016–2018	FC Seoul
2019	Yanbian Funde
2020	Daejeon Hana Citizen
2021–2024	South Korea U23
2024	South Korea (caretaker)
2024–	Daejeon Hana Citizen
Honours Men's football Representing  South Korea (as player) AFC Asian Cup Silver 1988 Qatar Team Asian Games Bronze 1990 Beijing Team Representing  South Korea (as manager) Asian Games Gold 2022 Hangzhou Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Hwang Sun-hong, born on July 14, 1968, is a famous South Korean football player and coach. He was known as one of the best strikers in South Korea during the 1990s and early 2000s. He is currently the manager of the South Korea national under-23 football team and Daejeon Hana Citizen.

Playing Career: A Star Striker

Hwang Sun-hong played as a forward, scoring many goals. He started his professional career in Germany before returning to South Korea.

Playing in Germany

After finishing college, Hwang chose to play football in Germany. He joined the reserve team of Bayer Leverkusen, where he scored 16 goals. This was in Germany's third football division.

The next season, Hwang moved to Wuppertaler SV in a higher league. However, he got a serious knee injury. This injury meant he could only play nine games.

Playing in South Korea and Japan

In 1993, Hwang came back to South Korea. He joined POSCO Atoms, now known as Pohang Steelers. With this team, he won the Asian Club Championship twice. He also set a record in the K League by scoring in eight games in a row in 1995.

Hwang also played a lot in Japan's J1 League. His best season was with Cerezo Osaka in 1999. He scored 24 goals in 25 games, becoming the top goalscorer in the league. He was the first South Korean player to be the top scorer in a foreign league. He was also nominated for the Asian Footballer of the Year award that year.

International Career: Representing South Korea

Hwang Sun-hong played for the South Korea national football team for many years. He represented his country in several major tournaments, including four FIFA World Cups.

Early World Cup Appearances

Hwang was a college player when he was first chosen for the national team in 1988. He scored his first goals against Japan and Iran. He then helped South Korea qualify for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. However, the team lost all three games in the tournament.

For the 1994 FIFA World Cup, Hwang struggled to score in the qualifying games. Before the World Cup, he injured his left knee. In the tournament, he missed some chances to score against Spain and Bolivia. He did score a goal against Germany, but South Korea lost and was eliminated. Fans were very critical, and Hwang felt very anxious after this.

Asian Games and Olympics

Despite criticism, Hwang remained a key player. In the 1994 Asian Games, he scored an amazing eleven goals in five games. This made him the top goalscorer of the tournament.

He also played for the South Korean under-23 team in the Football at the 1996 Summer Olympics. He helped his team win a penalty in the first game. But he got injured again and had to leave the tournament early.

Hwang hoped to do better in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. But he got injured just before the tournament. This meant he couldn't play much during the World Cup.

2002 World Cup: A Heroic Finish

In 2001, Hwang won the Bronze Shoe award at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored in wins against Mexico and Australia.

Even in his mid-30s, Hwang was still important for South Korea at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He scored the winning goal against Poland. This was South Korea's first-ever win in a FIFA World Cup! In the next game, he got a head injury. But he kept playing and helped his team get a penalty. In the quarter-finals against Spain, he scored in the penalty shootout.

Hwang played 103 games and scored 50 goals for South Korea. He had six operations because of injuries. He retired from international football after the 2002 World Cup.

Coaching and Managerial Career

After retiring as a player, Hwang Sun-hong became a coach. He has managed several teams and even the national youth team.

Early Coaching Roles

In 2005, Hwang became an assistant coach for Jeonnam Dragons. He later became the manager of Busan IPark in 2007.

Success with Pohang Steelers

In 2010, Hwang returned to his old team, Pohang Steelers, as their new manager. He led Pohang to second place in the league in 2011. They also won the Korean FA Cup in 2012. He liked to use young players who grew up in the team's youth system. In 2013, he achieved a great success by winning both the K League 1 and the Korean FA Cup.

Challenges at FC Seoul and Other Clubs

In 2016, Hwang became the manager of FC Seoul. He helped them win the K League 1 title that year. However, his choices for new players didn't work out well. He also had disagreements with some experienced players. Because of poor results, he resigned in 2018.

He then managed Yanbian Funde in China for a short time in 2019. He also managed Daejeon Hana Citizen in 2020. He faced criticism for his tactics and left the team during the season.

Managing South Korea U23 and National Team

In 2021, Hwang became the manager of the South Korea national under-23 football team. Some people were worried because of his recent results. His team lost to Japan in the quarter-finals of the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup. However, he led the team to win all seven matches at the 2022 Asian Games, earning a gold medal.

In February 2024, he also became the temporary manager for the senior South Korea national football team. He helped the team secure a good position in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. However, his U23 team later failed to qualify for the Olympic football for the first time in 40 years. They were eliminated in the U-23 Asian Cup quarter-finals by Indonesia.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

Honours and Awards

Hwang Sun-hong has won many awards and championships as both a player and a manager.

As a Player

• Pohang Steelers
  • Korean FA Cup: 1996
  • Korean League Cup: 1993
  • Asian Club Championship: 1996–97, 1997–98

• South Korea National Team
  • AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 1988
  • Asian Games bronze medal: 1990
  • Dynasty Cup: 1990

• Individual Awards
  • Korean FA Best XI: 1988
  • Asian Games top goalscorer: 1994
  • K League All-Star: 1995
  • K League 1 Best XI: 1995
  • J.League All-Star: 1999
  • J1 League top goalscorer: 1999
  • J1 League Best XI: 1999
  • FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe: 2001
  • K League '90s All-Star Team: 2003
  • K League 30th Anniversary Best XI: 2013

As a Manager

• Busan IPark
  • Korean FA Cup runner-up: 2010
  • Korean League Cup runner-up: 2009

• Pohang Steelers
  • K League 1: 2013
  • Korean FA Cup: 2012, 2013

• FC Seoul
  • K League 1: 2016
  • Korean FA Cup runner-up: 2016

• South Korea U23
  • Asian Games: 2022

• Individual Awards
  • Korean FA Cup Best Manager: 2012
  • K League 1 Manager of the Year: 2013, 2016
  • K League Manager of the Month: April 2014, September 2015, October 2016

See also

In Spanish: Hwang Sun-hong para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
• List of men's footballers with 50 or more international goals