Lee Ho Jae (Pohang Steelers | South Korea)

Looks like this is the one

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loyalgunner

That's a fair point raised above.

All this said, do we know if anybody has contacted him? Someone messaging Winston Reid on social media got him into the All Whites back in the day (or so the story went). Could be worth a go. I had a check on instagram and couldn't see a 'blue tick' account so maybe he doesn't have IG or goes by a slightly different name online.

 

Good work. I wonder if Sarpreet's working on him.

loyalgunner

Good work. I wonder if Sarpreet's working on him.

Play together as kids at Onehunga Sports?
Would have been a useful combo.

I didn't mean him specifically. Totally understand mandatory military service isn't easy to get around (had to complete it myself before emigrating to NZ), but if memory serves correctly, before the 2006 WC the likes of Winnie, McGlinchey, Tommy Smith (probably more?) decided to declare for NZ..
I'm really hoping this massive carrot will see NZF's stocks rise with many good players who could see us as a safer bet for their international career

Well as long as he doesn’t start out with a kiwi as accent and with ABs mates and then end up settling for marrying a chaebol…

All this Andre De Jeong chatter, made me checkin on 192cm Ho-Jae Lee, or is it Lee Ho-Jae.

9 goals in 27 league games for Pohang Steelers this K League season. Pohang's leading scorer to date. They are 5th in the K League with 2 games left, also in the Korea Cup final and the AFC Champions League Elite.

AV - if you are reading this, have NZF ever checked out to see 
a) is he eligible for the AWs?
b) if so is he interested?
https://us.soccerway.com/players/ho-jae-lee/691439/

Isn’t Korea like Japan and doesn’t have two passports? If so I couldn’t imagine he would forgo his Korean citizenship 

AucklandPhoenix

Isn’t Korea like Japan and doesn’t have two passports? If so I couldn’t imagine he would forgo his Korean citizenship 

Yes it seems you are correct. Reading the below link it also looks like his time spent in NZ (if more than 2 continuous years??), allows him to postpone his 2 years compulsory military service until age 37?? If so that's handy when you are trying to build a pro football career.

But yeah seems a bit like Michael Fitzgerald in Japan, he can never play for the AWs, if he wants to stay playing in the K League as a local, ie keep his Sth Korean passport.

https://lawfirmleeandlee.com/multiple-citizenship-in-korea/#:~:text=People%20with%20dual%20nationality%20in,from%20that%20point%20in%20time.

Ho-Jae Lee still on 9 goals for Pohang Steelers this K League season. Pohang's leading scorer to date. He must be injured as he hasn't played since 17th August.

Shame as he'd actually been in some very good form, scoring 7 goals in 11 league and cup games through late June to August.
https://us.soccerway.com/players/ho-jae-lee/691439/

Pohang are 5th in the K League with 1 game left, also in the Korea Cup final (30th Nov) and the AFC Champions League Elite.

Pohang can't finish higher than 4th in the K League, so they won't be in any AFC comps next season, unless I guess they win the AFC Champions League Elite.
2W & 2L in that comp's pool stages to date. Ho-Jae Lee hasn't featured in this comp to date.


I wonder if after the AWs qualify for the World Cup in March, he might have a think about looking into his AWs eligibility. Like Smith & Reid became eligible post the Bahrain games in 2009. Again from afar it seems he would straight away become our 2nd best striker behind only Wood.

There is a Sth Korean guy that plays for Singapore's national team. But he moved to Singers as a 18 yr old, so may qualify on residency grounds and still retain his Korean passport??

FIFA requires a passport from the country you are playing for iirc (came up with Deklan Wynne/Olympics saga cuz he was using his SA passport), residency isn't enough.

Also why Ifill never played for Barbados whilst at the Nix, the federation lost his Barbados passport. 

RR

FIFA requires a passport from the country you are playing for iirc (came up with Deklan Wynne/Olympics saga cuz he was using his SA passport), residency isn't enough.

If correct, then that will always make it tricky for guys like Michael Fitzgerald and Lee-Ho-Jae playing as domestic players in Japan and Sth Korea - countries that only allow you to hold a single passport.

Lee-Ho-Jae likely getting some interest from Europe with his goal scoring feats this K League season. But still not an easy decision I imagine to forgo your Sth Korean passport. May all be moot, and he may not even be eligible for the AWs anyway.

RR

Also why Ifill never played for Barbados whilst at the Nix, the federation lost his Barbados passport. 

What a story! Surely a replacement coulda been organised?
Anyway more off topic. 

RR

FIFA requires a passport from the country you are playing for iirc (came up with Deklan Wynne/Olympics saga cuz he was using his SA passport), residency isn't enough.

Just thinking that the Olympics maybe different again, to other FIFA events??

I remember one of the NZ Sevens players back in the day (may have been Sevu Reece) couldn't be with the team at the Oympics, as until then he'd been playing for NZ without a NZ passport (resident only). But the IOC rules stipulated all Olympians needed to be citizens of the countries they represented. Something like that.

Pohang Steelers sit 5th in the K League.
24 yr old Lee Ho-Jae with 6 goals in 14 games. He's 4th equal in the GB standings.

Starting to build a really good goal scoring record since the 2023 K League season. Since 2023 he has 23 goals in 78 games (only 33 starts), and now a locked in starter at Pohang, as their main striker.

https://us.soccerway.com/players/ho-jae-lee/691439/


33 min English interview from last year, with an English guy (presumably based in Korea). Bit of a mangled Kiwi accent??

Lived in NZ from age 7 to age 17. Starts with lots of talk about NZ. Misses some things about Aotearoa.

But think we can rule out the AWs for now. Has Sth Korean national team ambitions. I only listened to the first few mins.

If maybe by 2029 (age 28) he still not been cap tied by Korea, a phone call from NZF to see what he's up to. And/or he leaves for Europe, so no longer requires that Korean passport to be a domestic player in the K League.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEazOXk_FZ0

1,316 views  9 Jul 2024  The K League United Podcast

Called up to the South Korean national team for the 2025 EAFF Championship. It's a senior tournament with the majority of players capped, but the squad is entirely Asian-based. Appearances will count as senior international caps.

Opponents will be Japan, China and Hong Kong

coochiee

Pohang Steelers sit 5th in the K League.
24 yr old Lee Ho-Jae with 6 goals in 14 games. He's 4th equal in the GB standings.

Starting to build a really good goal scoring record since the 2023 K League season. Since 2023 he has 23 goals in 78 games (only 33 starts), and now a locked in starter at Pohang, as their main striker.

https://us.soccerway.com/players/ho-jae-lee/691439/


33 min English interview from last year, with an English guy (presumably based in Korea). Bit of a mangled Kiwi accent??

Lived in NZ from age 7 to age 17. Starts with lots of talk about NZ. Misses some things about Aotearoa.

But think we can rule out the AWs for now. Has Sth Korean national team ambitions. I only listened to the first few mins.

If maybe by 2029 (age 28) he still not been cap tied by Korea, a phone call from NZF to see what he's up to. And/or he leaves for Europe, so no longer requires that Korean passport to be a domestic player in the K League.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEazOXk_FZ0

1,316 views  9 Jul 2024  The K League United Podcast

In this special K League United Podcast episode we sit down with Pohang Steelers striker for a full English interview. The 23-year-old talks about a range of topics including what it was like facing his dad's Seongnam FC side in the FA Cup, his aspirations to play for the Korean national team, his "only strengths" as a young player, what it's like being a known quantity, and much more.

hahaha, the Kiwi accent's definitely showing up strong in that interview!

mrsmiis

Called up to the South Korean national team for the 2025 EAFF Championship. It's a senior tournament with the majority of players capped, but the squad is entirely Asian-based. Appearances will count as senior international caps.

Opponents will be Japan, China and Hong Kong

Shame from an AWs angle, but congrats to him. Chance to show his stuff with the European based big guns absent.

He could come up against half Kiwi (NZ dad) Hong Kong striker Matt Orr.

Orr got signed by Chinese Super League club, Shenzhen Peng City last year and has 2 goals in 20 CSL games.

Somewhat annoying that two of the best available kiwi strikers have opted to play for other countries (Boyd being the other). Especially when we should be a permanent WC fixture now.

Lee Ho Jae is a Korean who lived for awhile in NZ. He would though yes have been a great backup to Wood. Who knows if Korea didn't have the single passport limitation he may have looked at the All Whites. He's always going to find it tough to crack a full strength Sth Korean national team

Boyd is a winger not a striker. And then NZ now has Bindon, when he went through USA underage stuff.

Swings & roundabouts.

Marto

Somewhat annoying that two of the best available kiwi strikers have opted to play for other countries (Boyd being the other). Epecially when we should be a permanent WC fixture now.

Tyler Boyd has hardly set the world on fire with his goal scoring prowess.
left the Nix in 2015 - 42 goals across a decade and 9 teams.

Yeah we've won the Bindon/Boyd trade by an absolute mile

Nelfoos

Yeah we've won the Bindon/Boyd trade by an absolute mile

 Petition to make an annual competition between the US and us - the Bindon-Boyd Cup

Scored on starting debut for South Korea in a 2-0 win against Hong Kong. Made his official debut in the previous match against China.

Congratulations to him.

Perhaps time to close this thread down?

HattyCW

Scored on starting debut for South Korea in a 2-0 win against Hong Kong. Made his official debut in the previous match against China.

Congratulations to him.

Congrats to him.

These friendlies or competitive games that cap tie him now to Sth Korea?

coochiee

HattyCW

Scored on starting debut for South Korea in a 2-0 win against Hong Kong. Made his official debut in the previous match against China.

Congratulations to him.

Congrats to him.

These friendlies or competitive games that cap tie him now to Sth Korea?

It’s for the EAFF E-1 Cup, which I believe is a competitive tournament.

Finished 2025 K League with 15 goals in 34 matches.
Joint 3rd in the Golden Boot standings with Pohang finishing 4th

Sadly he now seems cap tied to South Korea, after his senior debut back in July last year.

Missed out on Sth Korea's WC squad, with only 6 K League players selected.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/news-six-k-league-players-054500508.html

Looks to be having another strong season in the K League though, with 7 goals in 15 games to date for 5th placed Pohang Steelers.
Joint leader in the Golden Boot race.
https://us.soccerway.com/south-korea/k-league-1/#/6FsHJk9l/top-scorers/https://us.soccerway.com/player/lee-ho-jae/Mu0icksc/

Real pity he's likely cap tied to the Sth Koreans after his 3 caps in that competitive tourney last year.
That's if he ever was AWs eligible. He speaks English like a Kiwi! Hasn't been called up for the Korean national team since those games last July. He's 25 now, and you'd think on the radar of some Euro clubs.

This article says he turned down an offer from the J League, with his goal a move to Europe.
https://www.mk.co.kr/en/sports/11931644

Wonder if Lee Ho-Jae will come into the Sth Korea national team picture, if a new coach comes in and does a bit of a clean out post a disappointing WC.
He is joint leader in the K League Golden Boot standings.

Apparently a European move may happen soonest.
He lived in NZ from 2007 to about 2015. So a good solid 8 odd years.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360999655/south-korea-coach-quits-after-early-world-cup-exit-prompts-f?cx_testId=87&cx_testVariant=cx_1&cx_artPos=2#cxrecs_s

South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo resigned on Sunday (Monday NZT) after the team's quick elimination from the World Cup drew a harsh condemnation from the country's president, who called the coach “incapable” and ordered a complete review of the national team programme.

South Korea won their opening match against Czech Republic, then lost their next two Group A matches to South Africa and Mexico.

The quick exit for a team that expected to advance left the national team programme in turmoil and drew a sharp rebuke from President Lee Jae Myung. He levelled pointed criticism at the coach.