Kim Song-yong (; born February 26, 1987, in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

) is a

Zainichi Korean () are ethnic Koreans who immigrated to Japan before 1945 and are citizens or permanent residents of Japan, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South Korean nationals who have immigrated to Japan since t ...

striker who has played for the North Korean national football team.

Club career

Kim made his professional debut for

Kyoto Sanga FC is a Japanese professional football club based in Kyoto. The club plays in the J1 League, the top tier of football in the country. Its name "Sanga" comes from the Sanskrit word ''sangha'', a term meaning "group" or "club" and often used to deno ...

on 4 April 2009, coming on as a late substitute in a

J1 League The , the J.League or the for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Japan and the highest level of the Japanese football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation ...

match against the

Kashima Antlers The are a professional association football, football club based in Kashima, Ibaraki, Japan. They currently play in the J1 League, the top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The club has financial backing from Mercari, a Japanese ...

. He scored his first professional goal against

Albirex Niigata is a professional football club based in Niigata, Japan. Formed in 1955 as Niigata Eleven SC, it was renamed Albireo Niigata FC in 1995, and Albirex Niigata in 1997. They currently play in J1 League after being promoted from J2 League as cha ...

on 22 August 2009, ensuring his club emerged as the winners of the match. On 16 January 2013, it was announced that Kim Seng-Yong would be signing with

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima (, ) is the capital of Nakhon Ratchasima province, the largest city in Isan, Northeastern Thailand and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, third-largest city in Thailand. It is 250 km (1 ...

of Thailand. On 25 November 2013, Kim signed for

I-league The I-League is the men's second professional football division of the Indian football league system behind the Indian Super League. Administered by the All India Football Federation, it is currently contested by 13 clubs. It operates as a s ...

debutant Rangdajied United for the remainder of the season. Kim signed for Royal Wahingdoh for the 2014-15 I-League season, where he appeared 19 times and scored 5 times, helping his side finish a remarkable 3rd in the league.

Bengaluru FC

On 3 June 2015, Kim signed for

Bengaluru FC Bengaluru Football Club () (Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು.ಎಫ್.ಸಿ) is an Indian professional football club based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club w ...

on a 1-year deal. On 24 January Kim scored his first goal for Bengaluru by scoring a brace against

Shillong Lajong Shillong Lajong Football Club (founded as Lajong SC) is an Indian professional football club based in Shillong, Meghalaya. The club is currently competing in the I-League, the second tier of the Indian football league system, following promotio ...

DSK Shivajians

In August 2016, Kim signed for another Pune based franchise club DSK Shivajians for a one-year deal. He scored four goals in thirteen appearances as the team finished on seventh position.

International career

Kim was named as one of the North Korean squad for the

2010 AFC Challenge Cup The 2010 AFC Challenge Cup was the third edition of the tournament which was held from 16–27 February 2010 in Sri Lanka. India, the defending champions, fielded their India national under-23 football team, under-23 team for this tournament ...

. He made a full international debut for

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

on February 19, 2010, in the

against

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

Sugathadasa Stadium Sugathadasa Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is currently used for football (soccer), football, Rugby union, rugby union, and Athletics in Jamaica, athletics. The stadium holds 25,000 people and has an on-site hotel. ...

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

. He also played in a friendly match against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

in April 2010, prior to the

2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

Personal life

Born and raised in Japan, it was his family connections and pride that made up his mind to choose North Korea, after his ancestors, like many during the time of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, chose to stay behind in Japan following the war and came to be known as

. His father, Kim Kwang-Ho, was the first

footballer to be called up for the senior

Korea DPR national football team The North Korea national football team ( Munhwaeo ; North Korean romanisation: Josŏn minjujuŭi inmin konghwaguk kukka chonghap thim; recognized as Korea DPR by FIFA) represents North Korea in men's international football and it is controlle ...

References

External links

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Bengaluru FC Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Song-yong 1987 births Living people North Korean men's footballers Men's association football forwards Association football people from Tokyo Expatriate men's footballers in Japan Expatriate men's footballers in India J1 League players J2 League players Kyoto Sanga FC players Thespa Gunma players Bengaluru FC players North Korea men's international footballers North Korean expatriate men's footballers North Korean expatriate sportspeople in India North Korean expatriate sportspeople in Japan Zainichi Korean men's footballers DSK Shivajians FC players 21st-century South Korean sportsmen