Ko Yoo-jin

In this Korean name, the family name is Ko.
Ko Yoo-jin
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-01-24)January 24, 1997
Place of birth South Korea
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position Defender
Team information
Current team
 Incheon Hyundai
Number 5
Youth career
2010–2012 Oju Middle School
2013–2015 Hyundai High School
2016–2019 Korea University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Hwacheon KSPO 57 (1)
2023– Incheon Hyundai
International career
2010 South Korea U14 0 (0)
2013 South Korea U17 1 (0)
2015–2016 South Korea U20 7 (0)
2019 South Korea Universiade 4 (1)
2022– South Korea 7 (1)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ko Yoo-jin (Korean: 고유진, born 24 January 1997) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a defender for WK League club Incheon Hyundai and the South Korea national team.

Youth career

Ko was inspired to play football by her father's love of the sport and enrolled in the girls' football academy at Shimwon Elementary School to start playing more seriously.[1] She progressed to the U15 academy at Oju Middle School, then the U18 team at Hyundai High School, where she was team captain in her final year.[2]

Ko initially played as a forward, but after changing position to become a defender, during her time at university she received accolades such as tournament MVP and second-highest goalscorer.[1] In 2019 Ko captained the Korea University football team, leading them to victories in the Spring Women's Football Championship and the Queen's Cup.[3]

Club career

Ko was the first player selected at the 2020 WK League new players draft, signing a three-year contract with Hwacheon KSPO.[4] She transferred to Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels ahead of the 2023 season.[5]

International career

Ko was first called up to South Korea's senior side in 2022.[6] However, she did not make any appearances and was subsequently absent from the squad until 2025, when she was selected by new manager Shin Sang-woo and made her full international debut in a friendly match against Australia.[7] Following her debut, she became a fixture of Shin's squad, making five further appearances in the same year before leading South Korea as captain upon her major tournament debut at the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup.[8][9] Ko scored her debut international goal in South Korea's first match of the tournament against Iran.[10][11]

Career statistics

International

Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yoo-jin goal.
List of international goals scored by Ko Yoo-jin
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 2 March 2026 Gold Coast Stadium, Gold Coast, Australia  Iran 3–0 3–0 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup
2 14 March 2026 Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia  Uzbekistan 2–0 6–0 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup

Honours

Ulsan Hyundai High School (previously Hyundai Technical High School)

  • National Women's Football Championship U18 winners: 2015[12]
  • National Sports Festival U18 winners: 2013, 2014
  • Fall Women's Football Championship U18 winners: 2013, 2014

Korea University

  • Spring Women's Football Championship University winners: 2019
  • Queen's Cup University winners: 2019

Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels

South Korea

References

  1. ^ a b Cha, Jae-min (13 December 2019). "고려대 여자축구 WK리거를 꿈꾸다 #1 대학 최고의 수비수, 주장 고유진". Sports KU (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026 – via Naver Blog.
  2. ^ Cha, Hyung-seok (18 May 2015). "현대고, 전국 첫 남녀 축구부 동시 운영" [Hyundai High becomes first in country to operate boys' and girls' football academies alongside one another]. Gyeongsang Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  3. ^ Cha, Jae-min; Kim, Seung-yeon (23 July 2019). "'원팀' 고려대 이끄는 등번호 10번 수비수 고유진" ['One team' number 10 defender Ko Yoo-jin, who leads Korea University]. Sports KU (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026 – via Naver Blog.
  4. ^ Choi, Song-a (19 December 2019). "연령별 대표 출신 수비수 고유진, 1순위로 WK리그 KSPO행" [Youth national team defender Ko Yoo-jin heads to WK League's KSPO as first pick]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  5. ^ Jung, Sung-in (5 March 2023). "여자축구가 돌아온다…24일 WK리그 개막" [Women's football is back... WK League begins on 24th]. Gyeongnam Domin Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  6. ^ Shim, Ye-sub (5 April 2022). "화천KSPO 고유진·문은주 여자축구대표팀 승선" [Hwacheon KSPO's Ko Yoo-jin, Mun Eun-ju called up to national team]. Gangwon Domin Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  7. ^ Jung, Da-wo (31 May 2025). "20대 후반에 이룬 태극마크의 꿈, 신상우호의 신데렐라 노린다…고유진 "A매치 50경기 뛰고 싶다"" [Shin Sang-woo's Cinderella Ko Yoo-jin achieves her dream of playing for Korea in her late 20s: "I want to make 50 A match appearances"]. Sports Seoul (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026 – via Nate Sports.
  8. ^ "Ko rises to lead Korea Republic charge". The AFC. 1 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  9. ^ Lee, Hye-jung (2 March 2026). "신상우 감독·고유진 선수, "계획대로 준비 끝"" [Manager Shin Sang-woo and captain Ko Yoo-jin: "We're ready, as planned"]. Queensfield (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  10. ^ "A long way from the war, Iran loses its opening Women's Asian Cup game to South Korea". Washington Post. 2 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  11. ^ Lee, Young-ho (3 March 2026). "A매치 데뷔골 '신상우호 캡틴' 고유진 "실점 없이 끝나 기뻐"" ['Shin Sang-woo's squad captain' Ko Yoo-jin scores A match debut goal: "I'm happy that we finished with a clean sheet"]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  12. ^ Seo, Seung-won (18 August 2015). "여고 최강 현대고, 무더위 뚫고 우승 축배" [Hyundai High are the best in girls' football, beating the heat to lift the trophy]. iusm.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  13. ^ 현대제철, 수원FC 꺾고 WK리그 통합 11연패 [Hyundai Steel beat Suwon FC for 11th consecutive WK League victory]. Korea Women's Football Federation. November 25, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  14. ^ Paik, Ji-hwan (August 30, 2023). "Red Angels jump from third to first to claim WK League title". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
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