Kwon Hyeok-kyu
South Korean footballer (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kwon Hyeok-kyu (Korean: 권혁규; born 13 March 2001) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for 2. Bundesliga club Karlsruher SC and the South Korea national team.
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Kwon training with Celtic in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 13 March 2001 | ||
| Place of birth | Busan, South Korea | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Karlsruher SC | ||
| Number | 8 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2010–2019 | Busan IPark | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2019–2023 | Busan IPark | 43 | (3) |
| 2021–2022 | → Gimcheon Sangmu (draft) | 33 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | Celtic | 0 | (0) |
| 2024 | → St Mirren (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | → Hibernian (loan) | 21 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | Nantes | 12 | (0) |
| 2026– | Karlsruher SC | 8 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2015 | South Korea U14 | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | South Korea U17 | 14 | (2) |
| 2019 | South Korea U20 | 7 | (3) |
| 2021–2023 | South Korea U23 | 14 | (0) |
| 2025– | South Korea | 2 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 May 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 31 March 2026 | |||
Club career
Busan IPark
Kwon started playing football at under-12 team of K League club Busan IPark in 2010, playing for Busan's youth teams for 10 years.[1] On 16 July 2019, Kwon was promoted to Busan's senior team.[2] On 14 September, he made his professional debut as a starting central midfielder in a K League 2 match against Jeonnam Dragons.[3] Busan was promoted to the K League 1 at the end of the season, and so he became a first division player the next season.
Gimcheon Sangmu
In April 2021, Kwon was enlisted in military team Gimcheon Sangmu, performing his mandatory military service for one and a half years.[4] He won the K League 2 title as he played as a defensive midfielder for Sangmu that year.[5] On 7 September 2022, he returned to Busan by being discharged from the military service.[6]
Celtic
Kwon received an offer from Scottish Premiership club Celtic in December 2022,[7] and their deal was done in July 2023. On 24 July, Celtic announced that he had signed on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[8] He said his ambition to become Celtic's best player and advance to the Bundesliga or the Premier League in an interview with Busan Ilbo before the transfer.[9][10] His interview embarrassed Celtic supporters, but there was also a positive view that he was an honest player who set a clear goal.[11]
Kwon had failed to make his debut at Celtic and was loaned to St Mirren from January to May 2024 and Hibernian in the 2024–25 season.[12][13] At the two Scottish clubs, he made 29 Premiership appearances, but had a hard time with two injuries.[14][15]
Nantes
On 25 July 2025, Kwon signed a three-year contract with Ligue 1 club Nantes.[16] Francisco Calvete, the Nantes performance manager and former Busan fitness coach, recommended him to the club as a replacement for Pedro Chirivella or Douglas Augusto.[17] On 17 August, he made his Ligue 1 debut as a starter in the club's first match against Paris Saint-Germain, which ended in a 1–0 loss.[18] He got opportunities under manager Luís Castro for about half a year, but was excluded from the squad after Castro was sacked for poor results.[19]
Karlsruher SC
On 2 February 2026, Kwon moved to 2. Bundesliga club Karlsruher SC.[20]
International career
On 30 September 2024, Kwon earned his first call-up to the South Korea national team.[21] On 18 November 2025, he made his international debut in a 1–0 win against Ghana.[22]
Career statistics
Club
- As of 9 May 2026[23]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Busan IPark | 2019 | K League 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |
| 2020 | K League 1 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 17 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | K League 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2023 | K League 2 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 20 | 2 | ||
| Total | 43 | 3 | 3 | 0 | — | 46 | 3 | |||
| Gimcheon Sangmu (draft) | 2021 | K League 2 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |
| 2022 | K League 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| Total | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| St Mirren (loan) | 2023–24 | Scottish Premiership | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Hibernian (loan) | 2024–25 | Scottish Premiership | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Nantes | 2025–26 | Ligue 1 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| Karlsruher SC | 2025–26 | 2. Bundesliga | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |
| Career total | 125 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 131 | 3 | ||
- Includes Korean FA Cup, Scottish Cup
- Includes Scottish League Cup
Honours
Gimcheon Sangmu