Lee Myung-geun (; born 8 April 1978) is a former international South Korean

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

scrum half Scrum may refer to: * Autozam Scrum, a microvan and pickup truck sold in Japan by Mazda * Line of scrimmage, line separating football teams before a play * Media scrum, an impromptu press conference, often held immediately outside an event such a ...

and current South Korea Head Coach.

Career

He began playing at

Yonsei University Yonsei University () is a Private university, private Christian university, Christian research university located in Seoul, South Korea. Yonsei is one of the three most prestigious universities in the country, part of a group referred to as SK ...

before playing for the Korean Armed Forces Athletic Corps during his

compulsory military service Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

. In 2004 he moved to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

to play for Hong Kong Cricket Club, winning the 2004-05 Hong Kong Rugby Club League. In 2005 he moved back to South Korea to play for Samsung SDI in the Korea Rugby League. In 2007 he moved to Japan joining

World Fighting Bull World Fighting Bull were a Japanese rugby union team that played in the county's Top League competition. The team was the rugby team of clothing company World Co., based in Kobe in the Kansai The or the lies in the southern-central region of ...

in the Top West League, although winning the league they lost in the promotion play offs. With the collapse of World Fighting Bull in 2009 Myung Geun joined Top League side

Kubota Spears Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay (commonly known as the Kubota Spears) is a Japanese rugby union team based in Funabashi, Chiba participating in the Japan Rugby League One. The team rebranded as Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay ahead of the r ...

Coaching Career

After ending his playing career at

, he joined their coaching set up before moving back to South Korea to be Backs Coach at his former club

. In 2022 he was named as the Head Coach for South Korea ahead of the 2022 Asia Rugby Championship. He also coached the South Korea Sevens side.

Honors

As player

Hong Kong Cricket Club

* Hong Kong Rugby Club League ** Champions: (1) 2004–05

World Fighting Bull World Fighting Bull were a Japanese rugby union team that played in the county's Top League competition. The team was the rugby team of clothing company World Co., based in Kobe in the Kansai The or the lies in the southern-central region of ...

* Top West League ** Champions: (1) 2007–08

Kubota Spears Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay (commonly known as the Kubota Spears) is a Japanese rugby union team based in Funabashi, Chiba participating in the Japan Rugby League One. The team rebranded as Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay ahead of the r ...

* Top East League ** Champions: (1) 2012 ** ''Runners-up: (1) 2011''

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

ARFU Asian Rugby Championship The Asia Rugby Championship, or ARC, is an annual rugby union competition held amongst national rugby sides within the Asia Rugby region. The competition was originally known as the Asian Rugby Football Tournament when founded in 1969, and was cal ...

** Champions: (1)

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

** ''Runners-up: (2)

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

'' *

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

** Champions: (1)

South Korea Sevens

* Asian Games ** Champions: (1)

** ''Runners-up: (1)

As coach

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Asia Rugby Championship The Asia Rugby Championship, or ARC, is an annual rugby union competition held amongst national rugby sides within the Asia Rugby region. The competition was originally known as the Asian Rugby Football Tournament when founded in 1969, and was ca ...

** ''Runners-up: (2)

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Myung Geun Living people 1978 births South Korean rugby union players Rugby union scrum-halves Kubota Spears Funabashi Tokyo Bay players Asian Games medalists in rugby union Rugby union players at the 2002 Asian Games Rugby sevens players at the 2006 Asian Games Asian Games gold medalists for South Korea Asian Games silver medalists for South Korea Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games Medalists at the 2006 Asian Games South Korea international rugby sevens players South Korea international rugby union players