Han Kwang-song
|
Han with North Korea in 2019 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Han Kwang-song | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 11 September 1998 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pyongyang, North Korea | |||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | |||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Forward | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
Current team | April 25 | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| –2013 | Chobyong | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Marcet | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Chobyong | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | ISM Academy | |||||||||||||
| 2017 | Cagliari | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 2014 | Tecnofutbol CF | 14 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Cagliari | 12 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | → Perugia (loan) | 17 | (7) | |||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | → Perugia (loan) | 19 | (4) | |||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | → Juventus (loan) | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | → Juventus U23 (res.) | 17 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2020 | Juventus | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Al-Duhail | 10 | (3) | |||||||||||
| 2023– | April 25 | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | North Korea U16 | 8 | (6) | |||||||||||
| 2015 | North Korea U17 | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||
| 2016 | North Korea U19 | 3 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 2017– | North Korea | 21 | (2) | |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21 August 2020 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 3 April 2025 | ||||||||||||||
Han Kwang-song (Korean: 한광성; Hanja: 韓光成; born 11 September 1998) is a North Korean professional footballer who plays as a forward for DPRK Premier League club April 25 and the North Korea national team.
Han signed with Italian side Cagliari in 2017, becoming the first North Korean to play in Serie A. He made an immediate impact, scoring on his debut and earning a professional contract. Han later went on loan to Perugia and Juventus U23, before transferring to Qatari club Al-Duhail in 2020. However, due to UN sanctions, his contract was terminated in 2021, and he returned to North Korea in 2023, joining domestic club April 25.
With the North Korea U-16 team, Han won the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship, scoring four goals, including the equalizer in the final against South Korea. He made his senior debut in 2017 and played a key role in North Korea's qualification for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Han scored his first senior international goal in a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Turkmenistan. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, North Korea did not play any matches from 2021 until 2023, when Han returned to the national team for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Han's career has been significantly impacted by North Korean government and international sanctions. Allegations surfaced that a portion of his salary was sent to the North Korean government, though his contract with Al-Duhail reportedly prevented this. UN sanctions against North Korea barred Han from working abroad, leading to the termination of his contract in 2021. Stranded in China due to COVID-19 restrictions, Han spent years training alone at the North Korean embassy before returning to international football in 2023.