Jong Il-gwan (; born 30 October 1992) 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 PartizanReprezentativac Severne Koreje ponudjen Partizanu at sportal.rs, 6-6-2012 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 joined 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
Scores and results list North Korean goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jong goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Jong Il-gwanNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 9 April 2011 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal 1–0 1–0 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification2 19 March 2012 Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal 1–1 2–1 2012 AFC Challenge Cup3 10 September 2012 Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia 2–0 2–0 Friendly 4 3 December 2012 Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong 5–0 5–0 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup qualification5 16 November 2014 Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan 1–0 5–1 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup preliminary6 2–17 3 September 2015 Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain 1–0 1–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification8 13 October 2015 Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea 1–0 1–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification9 17 November 2015 Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea 2–0 2–0 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification10 14 August 2016 UiTM Stadium, Shah Alam, Malaysia 1–0 1–0 Friendly11 21 August 2016 Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium, Paroi, Malaysia 1–0 1–1 Friendly12 24 August 2016 Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China 1–0 2–0 Friendly13 10 October 2016 Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines 1–0 3–1 Friendly14 6 November 2016 Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong 1–0 2–0 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification15 12 November 2016 Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong 1–0 1–0 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification16 10 November 2017 New I-Mobile Stadium, Buriram, Thailand 4–0 4–1 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification17 16 December 2017 Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo, Japan 1–1 1–1 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship18 27 March 2018 Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea 1–0 2–0 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification19 11 November 2018 Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan 4–0 4–1 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification20 16 November 2018 Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan 1–0 2–0 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification21 25 December 2018 Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam 1–1 1–1 Friendly 22 8 July 2019 TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India 1–0 2–5 2019 Intercontinental Cup23 13 July 2019 TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India 1–0 5–2 2019 Intercontinental Cup24 2–025 5 September 2019 Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea 1–0 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification26 2–027 21 November 2023 Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar 1–0 6–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification28 4–029 5–030 6 June 2024 New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos 1–0 1–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification31 10 October 2024 Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates 1–1 1–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification
Honours North Korea U20 AFC U-19 Championship: 2010
North Korea Hero Intercontinental Cup: 2019
Individual 2010 AFC U-19 Championship Golden Ball Hero Intercontinental Cup Best player: 2019
References
External links