Kim Bo-kyung
South Korean footballer (born 1989)

Kim Bo-kyung
Kim playing for Cardiff City in 2013
Personal information
Full name Kim Bo-kyung[1]
Date of birth (1989-10-06) 6 October 1989 (age 36)
Place of birth Gurye, Jeonnam, South Korea
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[2]
Position(s)
Team information
Current team
 FC Anyang
Number 24
Youth career
2008–2009 Hongik University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2012 Cerezo Osaka 41 (15)
2010 → Oita Trinita (loan) 27 (8)
2012–2015 Cardiff City 58 (3)
2015 Wigan Athletic 18 (2)
2015 Matsumoto Yamaga 6 (0)
2016–2017 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 44 (7)
2017–2019 Kashiwa Reysol 36 (2)
2019 → Ulsan Hyundai (loan) 35 (13)
2020–2022 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 82 (10)
2023–2024 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 37 (1)
2025– FC Anyang 19 (2)
International career‡
2007–2009 South Korea U20 21 (6)
2009–2012 South Korea U23 22 (6)
2009[4] South Korea Universiade 6 (3)
2010–2019 South Korea 38 (4)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  South Korea
Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London
AFC Asian Cup
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Qatar
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Guangzhou
EAFF Championship
Winner 2019 South Korea
Runner-up 2010 Japan
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 22 November 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 11 December 2019
Kim Bo-kyung
Hangul
김보경
Hanja
金甫炅
RRGim Bogyeong
MRKim Pogyŏng

Kim Bo-kyung (Korean: 김보경; Korean pronunciation: [kim.bo.ɡjʌŋ] or [kim] [po.ɡjʌŋ]; born 6 October 1989) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for K League 1 club FC Anyang.

Club career

Cerezo Osaka

In 2010, Kim dropped out of Hongik University and signed a three-year contract for J1 League side Cerezo Osaka.[5] After he was loaned out to J2 League side Oita Trinita for the 2010 season,[6][7] he returned to Cerezo Osaka.

During the 2011 season, Kim had 8 goals and 7 assists in 26 J1 League matches. Cerezo manager Levir Culpi was replaced by Sérgio Soares in 2012, but he remained as a key player of the team. Before participating at the 2012 Summer Olympics, he was the fourth-leading goalscorer at the 2012 J1 League with 7 goals in 15 matches.

Cardiff City

Kim playing for Cardiff City in 2014

On 10 July 2012, his agents confirmed that his club Cerezo Osaka, had entered talks with Cardiff City, a Welsh club of the EFL Championship, over his transfer.[8] On 12 July, Cardiff City and Cerezo Osaka agreed a fee believed to be around £2.5 million.[9] On 27 July, Kim signed a three-year deal with Cardiff City.[10] On 18 September, he made his Cardiff debut in a 2–0 win over Millwall coming on for Craig Noone. On 27 October, his first start for Cardiff came in a 4–0 win over Burnley at Cardiff City Stadium. On 7 December, he scored his first goal for Cardiff in a 4–1 win over Blackburn Rovers. On 19 January 2013, he scored his second goal in a 2–1 win over Blackpool.

On 17 April 2013, Cardiff City were promoted to the Premier League by winning a Championship title, and so Kim became South Korea's 12th Premier League player.[11] On August 26, he showed impressive dribble and cross which were followed by Cardiff's first goal in a 3–2 win over Manchester City.[12] On 24 November, he scored his first Premier League goal against Manchester United with an injury-time header, bringing a 2–2 home draw.[13]

However, Kim failed to prevent Cardiff's relegation. In the first half of the 2014–15 season, he remained at the club, but lost his place. On 24 January 2015, Cardiff City announced Kim's contract had been terminated by mutual consent.[14]

Wigan Athletic

On 6 February 2015, another Championship club Wigan Athletic announced that Kim agreed a contract until the end of 2014–15 season. Manager Malky Mackay, who used Kim as a main player at Cardiff, once again recruited Kim after moving to Wigan.[15] He secured a position at Wigan, but experienced relegation for the second year in a row. After his contract expired, local rivals Blackburn Rovers tried to sign him, but Kim failed to get a work permit.[16]

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Kim played for J1 League club Matsumoto Yamaga for three months after failing a tryout for Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven.[17][18] On 3 January 2016, he joined K League 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, starting to play in his country for the first time. He helped Jeonbuk win the 2016 AFC Champions League, qualifying for the 2016 FIFA Club World Cup.[19] During the Club World Cup, he scored once in a 2–1 defeat to América and once in a 4–1 win over Mamelodi Sundowns.[20][21]

Kashiwa Reysol

On 22 June 2017, Kim moved to J1 League club Kashiwa Reysol, meeting his national teammates Yun Suk-young.[22] He once again suffered relegation while playing for Kashiwa for one and a half years. He experienced relegation at four foreign clubs Cardiff, Wigan, Yamaga and Kashiwa, being nicknamed the "Missionary of relegation" by Korean fans.[23]

Loan to Ulsan Hyundai

During the 2019 season, Kim was loaned to K League 1 club Ulsan Hyundai, returning to South Korea.[24] Kim showed great influence at Ulsan, leading them to the first place in the league standings ahead of the last match.[23] However, he and his team suffered a shocking 4–1 defeat to Pohang Steelers in the last match, and conceded the league title to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors by the number of goals with the two clubs' points being tied.[25] Afterwards, he received the K League Most Valuable Player Award, and came back to champions Jeonbuk.[26]

Return to Jeonbuk

On 5 January 2020, Kim rejoined Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors after being promised the highest salary among native Korean players at the K League 1.[27] He won two league titles and one Korean FA Cup title for three years. Especially in the 2021 season, he won the K League Top Assist Provider Award after providing 10 assists during 32 league appearances.

International career

Under Hong Myung-bo, who managed South Korea at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup and the 2012 Summer Olympics, Kim participated at both tournaments, and won a bronze medal at the latter.[28]

On 9 January 2010, Kim made his first international appearance for South Korea in a 4–2 friendly defeat to Zambia.[28] He was called up for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but did not appear at the competition.[29] After Hong Myung-bo became the manager of the senior national team, he played as a substitute in two group stage matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[28]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 January 2023[30][31]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Oita Trinita (loan) 2010 J2 League 27 8 0 0 0 0 — — 27 8
Cerezo Osaka 2011 J1 League 26 8 3 1 0 0 8[a] 1 — 37 10
2012 J1 League 15 7 0 0 3 2 — — 18 9
Total 41 15 3 1 3 2 8 1 — 55 19
Cardiff City 2012–13 Championship 28 2 0 0 0 0 — — 28 2
2013–14 Premier League 28 1 3 0 0 0 — — 31 1
2014–15 Championship 2 0 0 0 3 0 — — 5 0
Total 58 3 3 0 3 0 — — 64 3
Wigan Athletic 2014–15 Championship 18 2 0 0 0 0 — — 18 2
Matsumoto Yamaga 2015 J1 League 6 0 0 0 0 0 — — 6 0
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2016 K League 1 29 4 1 0 — 11[a] 1 2[b] 2 43 7
2017 K League 1 15 3 1 0 — — — 16 3
Total 44 7 2 0 — 11 1 2 2 59 10
Kashiwa Reysol 2017 J1 League 13 0 2 0 — — — 15 0
2018 J1 League 23 2 2 0 2 0 5[a] 0 — 32 2
Total 36 2 4 0 2 0 5 0 — 47 2
Ulsan Hyundai (loan) 2019 K League 1 35 13 0 0 — 8[a] 0 — 43 13
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2020 K League 1 25 5 4 0 — 6[a] 0 — 35 5
2021 K League 1 32 3 0 0 — 7[a] 0 — 39 3
2022 K League 1 25 2 4 0 — 9[a] 1 — 38 3
Total 82 10 8 0 — 22 1 — 112 11
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2023 K League 1 0 0 0 0 — — — 0 0
Career total 347 60 20 1 8 2 54 3 2 2 431 68
  1. ^ a b c d e f g Appearances in AFC Champions League
  2. ^ Appearances in FIFA Club World Cup

International

Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.[28]
List of international goals scored by Kim Bo-kyung
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 12 June 2012 Goyang Sports Complex, Goyang, South Korea  Lebanon 1–0 3–0 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 2–0
3 15 October 2013 Cheonan Baekseok Stadium, Cheonan, South Korea  Mali 3–1 3–1 Friendly
4 11 November 2016 Cheonan Baekseok Stadium, Cheonan, South Korea  Canada 1–0 2–0 Friendly

Honours

Kim playing for Cardiff City in 2012

Cardiff City

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

South Korea U23

South Korea

Individual

References

  1. ^ "FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009™: List of Players: Korea Republic" (PDF). FIFA. 6 October 2009. p. 13. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2009.
  2. ^ "FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2016: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 14 December 2016. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017.
  3. ^ Williams, Paul. "5 into 3 doesn't go as Victory and Sydney forced to make tough ACL calls". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  4. ^ 2009년 5월 18일 2009 하계유니버시아드 남자 (in Korean). KFA. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  5. ^ 김보경, J-리그 세레소 오사카 입단 (in Korean). Daily Sports. 29 December 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  6. ^ '허정무호 영건' 김보경, J2리그 오이타로 임대 (in Korean). Sportalkorea. 28 January 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  7. ^ "キム ボギョン選手 期限付き移籍加入決定のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Oita Trinita. 28 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2009.
  8. ^ "Kim Bo-Kyung's agency claims talks with Cardiff City". Goal. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  9. ^ "キム、イングランド２部・カーディフ移籍...Ｃ大阪" [Kim will transfer to English second division's Cardiff...C. Osaka]. Sports Hochi (in Japanese). 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  10. ^ "Kim Bo-Kyung City deal completed". Cardiff City F.C. 27 July 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2013.
  11. ^ 카디프시티 EPL 승격 확정 '감격'... 김보경 한국인 12번째 프리미어리거. Kyeongin Ilbo. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  12. ^ "Kim Bo-Kyung & Cardiff upsets Manchester City 3-2 / Tavern Roundup". Taeguk Warriors. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Cardiff City 2-2 Manchester United: Kim header in stoppage time shares points". NBC Sports. 24 November 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2025.
  14. ^ "Kim Bo-Kyung departs". Cardiff City F.C. 24 January 2015. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  15. ^ "Kim Bo-kyung: Wigan Athletic sign former Cardiff midfielder". BBC Sport. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  16. ^ "Rovers fail to sign midfielder Kim". BBC Sport. 31 July 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  17. ^ [단독]김보경 J리그 유턴, 유럽 돌아 행선지는 마쓰모토 (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  18. ^ "PSV in the Picture 25-08". PSV Eindhoven. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  19. ^ "Choi Kang-hee and Jeonbuk make history in Asian Champions League". ESPN. 28 November 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  20. ^ "Jeonbuk, Sundowns seek redemption". FIFA. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Asian champions Jeonbuk take 5th place at FIFA Club World Cup". The Korea Herald. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  22. ^ "Kashiwa Reysol sign Kim Bo-kyung". AFC. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  23. ^ a b 해외리그 '강등 전도사' 김보경, 국내선 우승 해결사. Nate (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. 28 November 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  24. ^ 프로축구 울산, 국가대표 출신 김보경 임대 영입 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 3 January 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  25. ^ '하늘도 울었다' 울산, 포항전 1-4 대패...전북에 역전 우승 허용. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Osen. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  26. ^ K리그1 챔피언 전북, 지난 시즌 MVP 김보경 '재영입' (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 5 January 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  27. ^ 김보경 K리그 토종 연봉킹...외국인은 세징야 (in Korean). JoongAng Ilbo. 28 December 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  28. ^ a b c d "Kim Bo-kyung" (in Korean). KFA. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  29. ^ 허정무호 최후의 23인, 이근호·신형민·구자철 탈락 (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  30. ^ Nippon Sports Kikaku Publishing inc./日本スポーツ企画出版社, "J1&J2&J3選手名鑑ハンディ版 2018 (NSK MOOK)", 7 February 2018, Japan, ISBN 978-4905411529 (p. 34 out of 289)
  31. ^ Kim Bo-kyung – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  32. ^ "Bo-Kyung Kim". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  33. ^ "Jeonbuk wins K League title for 4th straight year". Korea JoongAng Daliy. November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  34. ^ "Jeonbuk win fifth consecutive K League title". Korea JoongAng Daliy. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  35. ^ "Jeonbuk compete the double with 2-1 win in FA Cup final". Korea JoongAng Daliy. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  36. ^ "Jeonbuk clinch second AFC Champions League crown". Fox Sports Asia. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  37. ^ "2012 Olympics – Soccer (Mens) – Bronze medal game". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  38. ^ "Asian Games 2010". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
  39. ^ "2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship Table and Awards". EAFF. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
  40. ^ '호날두 차고 조현우 막는다'.. 팀 K리그, 유벤투스전 명단 공개 (in Korean). Financial News. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  41. ^ "High-scoring midfielder wins K League MVP". Yonhap News Agency. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  42. ^ [포토] 김보경-문선민-세징야-완델손, K리그1 베스트11 MF. Naver (in Korean). Sports Donga. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  43. ^ [포토] 전북 김보경 '최다 도움상 수상'. Naver (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  • Profile at Kashiwa Reysol
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kim Bo-kyung (footballer).
  • Kim Bo-kyung – National Team stats at KFA (in Korean)
  • Kim Bo-kyung – FIFA competition record (archived)
  • Kim Bo-kyung at J.League (archive) (in Japanese)
  • Kim Bo-kyung – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
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