Korea has replaced two injured football defenders on the national team ahead of its World Cup qualifier against Iran next week.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said defensive backs Hwang Seok-ho and Park Won-jae will miss the Oct. 16 road contest against Iran in the final round of the Asian qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. They have been replaced by Kim Ki-hee and Park Joo-ho, the KFA added.
Hwang, who plays for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Japan, recently injured his left ankle for the second time in the past month. The 23-year-old was a member of South Korea's bronze medal-winning team at the London Olympics.
Park Won-jae, a defender for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the domestic K-League, injured his knee during a match Sunday against Pohang Steelers, and was stretchered off the pitch in the 65th minute. Lee Heung-sil, Jeonbuk's head coach, said after the game that Park's injury appeared to be "serious."
Kim, who recently signed with Qatari club Al-Sailiya, also was on the Olympic squad, though he only appeared for the final four minutes in South Korea's bronze medal match against Japan.
Park Joo-ho, a defender for FC Basel in Switzerland, has started four of South Korea's past five international matches, and will likely earn a starting nod again in the left fullback position.
The national team's defensive line has another bruised body with Shin Kwang-hoon, who hurt his knee in a K-League match for Pohang against Jeju United on Sept. 27. Shin has not been replaced on the national squad, but his Pohang head coach, Hwang Sun-hong, kept him off the lineup last Sunday in K-League action, saying Shin was far from 100 percent.
South Korea leads five nations in Group A of the qualifying stage with seven points, after beating Qatar and Lebanon, and drawing Uzbekistan.
In the final round, 10 countries have been divided into two groups of five, and the top two countries from the groups will qualify for the 2014 World Cup. In Group B, Japan is the leader with 10 points after four games, followed by Jordan with four. Australia, Iraq and Oman each have two points.
Korea is seeking its eighth consecutive World Cup appearance and ninth overall. It was a surprise semifinalist at the 2002 tournament that it co-hosted with Japan and reached the second round at the 2010 event held in South Africa.(Yonhap)