Lee Dong-gyeong
South Korean footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lee Dong-gyeong (Korean: 이동경; born 20 September 1997) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Ulsan HD and the South Korea national team.[2]
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Lee in 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 20 September 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Daegu, South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Ulsan HD | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | Ulsan Hyundai[note 1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Hongik University | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018– | Ulsan HD | 100 | (23) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | → FC Anyang (loan) | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | → Schalke 04 (loan) | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | → Hansa Rostock (loan) | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | → Gimcheon Sangmu (draft) | 52 | (18) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2021 | South Korea U23 | 18 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019– | South Korea | 16 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 October 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Club career
Ulsan HD
Prior to the 2018 season, Lee dropped out of Hongik University and joined K League 1 club Ulsan Hyundai (renamed Ulsan HD in 2024). On 29 July 2018, he made his professional debut in a 1–1 draw with Jeju United.[3] After making his first appearance at Ulsan, he was loaned to K League 2 club FC Anyang for the second half of the season.[4]
During the 2019 season, he found his spot at Ulsan, playing 25 K League 1 matches.[5] On 18 May 2019, Lee scored his first professional goal in a 3–1 win over Suwon Samsung Bluewings.[6]
Before the start of the 2020 season, he considered moving to Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC,[7] but decided to stay at Ulsan to prepare for the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Japan.[8] However, manager Kim Do-hoon did not use him as a main player, and so he tried to negotiate with Primeira Liga club Boavista in September.[9] He already said goodbye to his teammates,[10] but the transfer was not realised due to a conflict about his agent's commission.[11][12] He was able to regain his spot after manager Kim left the club the next year.[5]
Loan to Schalke 04
On 31 January 2022, Lee joined 2. Bundesliga club Schalke 04 on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy.[13] On 13 February, he made his Schalke debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Fortuna Düsseldorf.[14] After his first match, he injured his metatarsal bones, not being able to play any more matches for the club.[15] Schalke extended the loan deal until the end of 2022 in the summer,[16] but excluded him from their matches at the beginning of the next season despite his recovery.
Loan to Hansa Rostock
On 1 September, Lee was loaned to 2. Bundesliga club Hansa Rostock after terminating the contract with Schalke early.[17] During the 2022–23 season, he usually played as a substitute for Rostock, making 12 appearances including two starts at the 2. Bundesliga.[18] In the middle of the season, manager Patrick Glöckner pointed out Lee's physical weakness, and demanded to increase workrate and intensity of tussles from him.[15]
Enlistment in Gimcheon Sangmu
In June 2024, Lee enlisted in Gimcheon Sangmu, the military football club of the K League 1, after military recruit training for four weeks. He had seven goals and five assists in eight league matches during March and April before enlistment, but lost momentum due to the four-week training. Despite this, he reached double-digit goals in a season for the first time.[5]
In the 2025 season, Lee had 13 goals and 11 assists in 34 matches,[5] while leading Gimcheon to finish third at the K League 1. He received the K League Most Valuable Player Award at the end of the season.[19]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ulsan HD | 2018 | K League 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | K League 1 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3[a] | 1 | 28 | 4 | |
| 2020 | K League 1 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1[a] | 0 | 24 | 3 | |
| 2021 | K League 1 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 3[a] | 1 | 33 | 7 | |
| 2023 | K League 1 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2024 | K League 1 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6[a] | 1 | 14 | 8 | |
| 2025 | K League 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2026 | K League 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 11 | 3 | |
| Total | 100 | 23 | 7 | 1 | 21 | 3 | 128 | 27 | ||
| FC Anyang (loan) | 2018 | K League 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 | 0 | |
| Schalke 04 (loan) | 2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| Hansa Rostock (loan) | 2022–23 | 2. Bundesliga | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| Gimcheon Sangmu (draft) | 2024 | K League 1 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 19 | 5 | |
| 2025 | K League 1 | 34 | 13 | 0 | 0 | — | 34 | 13 | ||
| Total | 52 | 18 | 1 | 0 | — | 53 | 18 | |||
| Total | 175 | 41 | 8 | 1 | 21 | 3 | 204 | 45 | ||
- Appearances in AFC Champions League Elite
International
- As of match played on 14 October 2025[21]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 2019 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 7 | 2 | |
| Total | 16 | 3 | |
- Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lee goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 June 2021 | Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea |  Sri Lanka | 2–0 | 5–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 7 July 2025 | Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea |  China | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2025 EAFF Championship |
| 3 | 6 September 2025 | Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, United States |  United States | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
Honours
Notes
- Played for Hyundai Middle School from 2010 to 2012, and Hyundai High School from 2013 to 2015.
