Jong Il-gwan


Jong Il-gwan is a North Korean professional footballer who plays as a striker for DPR Korea Premier Football League club Ryomyong and the North Korea national team. He is the country's all-time top scorer.

Club career

On 24 November 2010, Jong was crowned AFC Youth Player of the Year. On 5 June 2012, numerous reports surfaced linking the player with a move to Newcastle United with later reports strongly linking him with FK Partizan and PSV Eindhoven. He was transferred to Swiss Super League club FC Luzern in July 2017, signing a two-year contract.
On 1 August 2022, Jong won his club's first ever Hwaebul Cup after scoring a 96th minute winner for Ryomyong against April 25 in a 2–1 win.
On 19 March 2024, the Japanese newspaper Choson Sinbo revealed that Jong signed for Choson University of Physical Education club.
On 30 August 2024, a Championat Asia article revealed that Jong had returned to Ryomyong.

International career

Jong made his senior international debut for North Korea on 26 March 2011 against Iraq in a 2–0 defeat.
Jong made his EAFF preliminaries debut in 2012 against Chinese Taipei. He scored his first competition goal in a 5–0 win against Guam in the second preliminary round. Jong scored a brace in 2014 against the same opposition for the second preliminary round, helping his side qualify for the final tournament. He scored another goal against Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong in 2016 for the 2017 edition's second preliminaries. On 16 December 2017, Jong scored a stunning free kick against China in a 1–1 draw.
In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Jong was named captain of the national team. Against Qatar, he was sent off towards the end of the match.
On 21 November 2023, Jong scored his first international hat-trick against Myanmar in a 6–1 win at the Thuwunna Stadium during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification phase.
On 6 June 2024, Jong scored a 90+2' stoppage time winner against Syria. That goal helped North Korea stay in the running for the third round of qualifying.

Style of play

Jong is known for being a pacy and technical forward who can play on either flanks or up top. He has an expert first touch and vision and has an eye for exploiting spaces in between defenders. Jong is also a set piece specialist, scoring multiple free kicks in his international career.

Career statistics

International

No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
19 April 2011Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal1–01–02012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification
219 March 2012Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal1–12–12012 AFC Challenge Cup
310 September 2012Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia2–02–0Friendly
43 December 2012Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong5–05–02013 EAFF East Asian Cup qualification
516 November 2014Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan1–05–12015 EAFF East Asian Cup preliminary
616 November 2014Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan2–15–12015 EAFF East Asian Cup preliminary
73 September 2015Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain1–01–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
813 October 2015Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea1–01–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
917 November 2015Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea2–02–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
1014 August 2016UiTM Stadium, Shah Alam, Malaysia1–01–0Friendly
1121 August 2016Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium, Paroi, Malaysia1–01–1Friendly
1224 August 2016Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China1–02–0Friendly
1310 October 2016Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines1–03–1Friendly
146 November 2016Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong1–02–0EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification
1512 November 2016Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong1–01–02017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification
1610 November 2017New I-Mobile Stadium, Buriram, Thailand4–04–12019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
1716 December 2017Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo, Japan1–11–12017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship
1827 March 2018Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea1–02–02019 AFC Asian Cup qualification
1911 November 2018Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan4–04–12019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification
2016 November 2018Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan1–02–02019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification
2125 December 2018Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam1–11–1Friendly
228 July 2019TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India1–02–52019 Intercontinental Cup
2313 July 2019TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India1–05–22019 Intercontinental Cup
2413 July 2019TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India2–05–22019 Intercontinental Cup
255 September 2019Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea1–02–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
265 September 2019Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea2–02–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2721 November 2023Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar1–06–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification
2821 November 2023Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar4–06–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification
2921 November 2023Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar5–06–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification
306 June 2024New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos1–01–02026 FIFA World Cup qualification
3110 October 2024Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates1–11–12026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

North Korea U20
North Korea
Individual