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

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

) is a

Zainichi Korean comprise ethnic Koreans who have permanent residency status in Japan or who have become Japanese citizens, and whose immigration to Japan originated before 1945, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South ...

striker who has played for the

North Korean national football team The North Korea national football team ( Munhwaŏ ko, 조선민주주의인민공화국 국가종합팀, recognized as Korea DPR by FIFA) represents North Korea in men's international football and it is controlled by the DPR Korea Football As ...

Club career

Kim made his professional debut for

Kyoto Sanga FC is a Japanese professional football club based in Kyoto. "Sanga" comes from the Sanskrit word ''sangha'', a term meaning "group" or "club" and often used to denote the Buddhist priesthood, associating the club with Kyoto's many Buddhist templ ...

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

J1 League The , known as the for sponsorship reasons, is the top level of the system. Founded in 1992, it is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football. Contested by 18 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the J ...

match against the

Kashima Antlers are a football club in Kashima, Ibaraki, currently playing in the J1 League, top tier of Japanese professional football leagues. The name ''Antlers'' is derived from the city name, Kashima, which literally means "deer island". The club has fi ...

. 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. From 2023, Albirex will be playing on the J1 League, coming back to the fir ...

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 ( th, นครราชสีมา, ) is one of the four major cities of Isan, Thailand, known as the "big four of Isan". The city is commonly known as Korat (, ), a shortened form of its name. It is the governmental seat of ...

of Thailand. On 25 November 2013, Kim signed for

I-league The I-League (known as Hero I-League for sponsorship ties with Hero MotoCorp) is the second-tier men's professional football competition of the Indian football league system. It is currently contested by 12 clubs across the country with the w ...

debutant Rangdajied United for the remainder of the season. Kim signed for

Royal Wahingdoh Royal Wahingdoh FC (also known as Wahingdoh Sports Club) was an Indian professional football club based in Shillong, Meghalaya. Nicknamed "Royals", the club participated in I-League, then top flight of Indian football league system. Royal Wahin ...

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 () is an Indian professional football club based in Bangalore, Karnataka. The club competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was established on 20 July 2013, and began its first ...

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

Shillong Lajong Shillong Lajong FC (founded as Lajong SC) is an Indian professional football club based in Shillong, Meghalaya, that competes in the Shillong Premier League. The club was established in 1983 with the prime objective of improving the declining st ...

DSK Shivajians

In August 2016, Kim signed for another Pune based franchise club

DSK Shivajians DSK Shivajians Football Club (founded as Shivajians Sports Club) was an Indian professional football club based in Pune, Maharashtra. The club was owned by the DSK Group, and competed in the I-League, then top tier of Indian football league ...

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 under-23 team for this tournament in preparation for the 2010 Asian Game ...

. 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 shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

on February 19, 2010, in the

against

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...

Sugathadasa Stadium Sugathadasa Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is currently used for football, rugby union, and athletics. The stadium holds 25,000 people and has an on-site hotel. History The concept of an outdoor sporting stadium was ...

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

. He also played in a friendly match against

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in April 2010, prior to the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

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, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, 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 ( Munhwaŏ ko, 조선민주주의인민공화국 국가종합팀, recognized as Korea DPR by FIFA) represents North Korea in men's international football and it is controlled by the DPR Korea Football As ...

References

External links

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