Midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong of Ulsan HD FC will miss South Korea's two upcoming friendly matches after suffering a rib fracture in a club game over the weekend. The injury occurred during a 1-0 win over Suwon FC and requires at least four weeks of recovery. As a result, he will be unavailable for the friendlies against Bolivia on Friday and Ghana next Tuesday.
Ulsan HD FC announced on Monday, November 10, that midfielder Lee Dong-gyeong broke a rib during the team's 1-0 win over Suwon FC the previous day. The injury happened in the 84th minute during a challenge with defender Lee Si-young, but Ulsan had already used all five substitutions, forcing Lee to continue playing through the pain. He was transported off the field in an ambulance after the final whistle.
With only two matches left in Ulsan's season, Lee is expected to miss the rest of the year and will not be available for South Korea's national team friendlies against Bolivia on Friday and Ghana next Tuesday. Lee, who has featured in each of the past four matches for South Korea, is the third midfielder in head coach Hong Myung-bo's squad—unveiled last Monday—to suffer an injury during club action.
Feyenoord's Hwang In-beom is sidelined for six to eight weeks with a left thigh injury, while Birmingham City FC's Paik Seung-ho is dealing with a shoulder problem. The Korea Football Association has stated it will not select a replacement for Hwang but may need to name new players due to the absences of Paik and Lee.
These injuries could impact Hong Myung-bo's preparations for the upcoming internationals.