Nat'l team midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong ruled out for November friendlies with rib fracture

Ulsan HD FC midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong, center, is taken off the field in an ambulance after suffering a rib fracture during a K League 1 match against Suwon FC at Munsu Football Stadium in the southeastern city of Ulsan, Sunday. Yonhap

Midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong will miss Korea's two upcoming friendly matches due to a rib fracture he sustained during his club match over the weekend.

Ulsan HD FC of the K League 1 announced Monday that Lee will need at least four weeks of recovery after breaking a rib during the team's 1-0 win over Suwon FC the previous day.

With Ulsan having only two more matches left this season, Lee will likely miss the rest of the year and will also not be available for the national team for friendlies against Bolivia on Friday and Ghana next Tuesday.

Lee hurt his rib after getting in a battle with defender Lee Si-young in the 84th minute. However, Ulsan had already used up all five substitutions by that point, forcing Lee to play the remainder of the match hurt. Lee was taken off the field in an ambulance after the final whistle.

Lee, who has played in each of the past four Korea matches, is the third midfielder on the national team to have suffered an injury during club action since head coach Hong Myung-bo unveiled his squad last Monday.

Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom has been ruled out for six to eight weeks with a left thigh injury, while Birmingham City FC midfielder Paik Seung-ho is dealing with a shoulder injury.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) previously decided not to pick a new player in place of Hwang, but it named two midfielders, Seo Min-woo of Gangwon FC and Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City FC, as replacements for Paik and Lee on Monday.

Seo, 27, has three international caps under his belt, all earned during the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Football Championship in July this year.

Bae, 22, has made 10 appearances for Korea, most recently facing the United States and then Mexico during Korea's two-match trip to America in September. Considered a rising star in Korean football, Bae was named Stoke City's Player of the Year for the 2023-2024 season.