Lee Dong-gyeong

Lee Dong-gyeong
Lee in 2025
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-09-20) 20 September 1997
Place of birth Daegu, South Korea
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Ulsan HD
Number 10
Youth career
2010–2015 Ulsan Hyundai[note 1]
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Hongik University
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018– Ulsan HD 91 (20)
2018 → FC Anyang (loan) 10 (0)
2022 → Schalke 04 (loan) 1 (0)
2022–2023 → Hansa Rostock (loan) 12 (0)
2024–2025 → Gimcheon Sangmu (draft) 52 (18)
International career‡
2018–2021 South Korea U23 18 (12)
2019– South Korea 16 (3)
Medal record
Representing  South Korea
Men's football
AFC U-23 Championship
Winner 2020 Thailand
EAFF Championship
Runner-up 2025 South Korea
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 November 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 October 2025
Lee Dong-gyeong
Hangul
이동경
Hanja
李東慶
RRI Donggyeong
MRI Tonggyŏng
In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Lee Dong-gyeong (Korean: 이동경; born 20 September 1997) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Ulsan HD and the South Korea national team.[2]

Club career

Ulsan HD

Prior to the 2018 season, Lee dropped out of Hongik University and joined K League 1 club Ulsan Hyundai (renamed Ulsan HD in 2024). On 29 July 2018, he made his professional debut in a 1–1 draw with Jeju United.[3] After making his first appearance at Ulsan, he was loaned to K League 2 club FC Anyang for the second half of the season.[4]

During the 2019 season, he found his spot at Ulsan, playing 25 K League 1 matches.[5] On 18 May 2019, Lee scored his first professional goal in a 3–1 win over Suwon Samsung Bluewings.[6]

Before the start of the 2020 season, he considered moving to Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps FC,[7] but decided to stay at Ulsan to prepare for the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Japan.[8] However, manager Kim Do-hoon did not use him as a main player, and so he tried to negotiate with Primeira Liga club Boavista in September.[9] He already said goodbye to his teammates,[10] but the transfer was not realised due to a conflict about his agent's commission.[11][12] He was able to regain his spot after manager Kim left the club the next year.[5]

Loan to Schalke 04

On 31 January 2022, Lee joined 2. Bundesliga club Schalke 04 on loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy.[13] On 13 February, he made his Schalke debut as a 60th-minute substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Fortuna Düsseldorf.[14] After his first match, he injured his metatarsal bones, not being able to play any more matches for the club.[15] Schalke extended the loan deal until the end of 2022 in the summer,[16] but excluded him from their matches at the beginning of the next season despite his recovery.

Loan to Hansa Rostock

On 1 September, Lee was loaned to 2. Bundesliga club Hansa Rostock after terminating the contract with Schalke early.[17] During the 2022–23 season, he usually played as a substitute for Rostock, making 12 appearances including two starts at the 2. Bundesliga.[18] In the middle of the season, manager Patrick Glöckner pointed out Lee's physical weakness, and demanded to increase workrate and intensity of tussles from him.[15]

Enlistment in Gimcheon Sangmu

In June 2024, Lee enlisted in Gimcheon Sangmu, the military football club of the K League 1, after military recruit training for four weeks. He had seven goals and five assists in eight league matches during March and April before enlistment, but lost momentum due to the four-week training. Despite this, he reached double-digit goals in a season for the first time.[5]

In the 2025 season, Lee had 13 goals and 11 assists in 34 matches,[5] while leading Gimcheon to finish third at the K League 1. He received the K League Most Valuable Player Award at the end of the season.[19]

Career statistics

Club

As of 9 December 2025[5][18][20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ulsan HD 2018 K League 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2019 K League 1 25 3 0 0 3[a] 1 28 4
2020 K League 1 18 2 5 1 1[a] 0 24 3
2021 K League 1 28 6 2 0 3[a] 1 33 7
2023 K League 1 9 2 0 0 4[a] 0 13 2
2024 K League 1 8 7 0 0 6[a] 1 14 8
2025 K League 1 2 0 0 0 2[a] 0 4 0
Total 91 20 7 1 19 3 117 24
FC Anyang (loan) 2018 K League 2 10 0 0 0 — 10 0
Schalke 04 (loan) 2021–22 2. Bundesliga 1 0 — — 1 0
Hansa Rostock (loan) 2022–23 2. Bundesliga 12 0 0 0 — 12 0
Gimcheon Sangmu (draft) 2024 K League 1 18 5 1 0 — 19 5
2025 K League 1 34 13 0 0 — 34 13
Total 52 18 1 0 — 53 18
Total 166 38 8 1 19 3 193 42
  1. ^ a b c d e f Appearances in AFC Champions League Elite

International

As of match played on 14 October 2025[21]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
South Korea 2019 2 0
2021 4 1
2022 1 0
2023 1 0
2024 1 0
2025 7 2
Total 16 3
Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Lee goal.
List of international goals scored by Lee Dong-gyeong
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 9 June 2021 Goyang Stadium, Goyang, South Korea  Sri Lanka 2–0 5–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 7 July 2025 Yongin Mireu Stadium, Yongin, South Korea  China 1–0 3–0 2025 EAFF Championship
3 6 September 2025 Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, United States  United States 2–0 2–0 Friendly

Honours

Ulsan Hyundai

Schalke 04

South Korea U23

South Korea

Individual

Notes

  1. ^ Played for Hyundai Middle School from 2010 to 2012, and Hyundai High School from 2013 to 2015.

References

  1. ^ "Lee Dong-gyeong". FC Schalke 04. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  2. ^ "S. Korea football coach Bento sees versatility as strength for nat'l team". Yonhap News Agency. 26 August 2019. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  3. ^ "JEJ 1-1 ULS | Jeju SK v Ulsan HD live scores & match info". Soccerway. 29 July 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  4. ^ [안양] FC안양, 울산에서 MF 이동경 임대 영입 (in Korean). K League. 31 July 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e Lee Dong-gyeong – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  6. ^ '이동경·김수안 골맛' 울산, 수원 꺾고 선두 질주 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  7. ^ "Report: Vancouver Whitecaps chasing South Korea international Lee Dong-gyeong". Major League Soccer. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  8. ^ 이동경이 밴쿠버 대신 잔류한 이유 "울산이 더 유럽에 가깝더라" (in Korean). Kyunghyang. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  9. ^ "Ulsan Hyundai confirma negociações com o Boavista por médio sul-coreano" (in Portuguese). O Jogo. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  10. ^ [GOAL LIVE] 명단제외 되었던 이동경... 김도훈 "유럽 간다. 마지막 절차 필요" (in Korean). Goal. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  11. ^ 이동경, 포르투갈 보아비스타 진출 무산... 울산 복귀 [단독]. Naver (in Korean). Osen. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  12. ^ 자존심 지킨 형님, '벤투호'가 더 강했다…'김학범호' 월반 이동경의 비수 (in Korean). Sports Donga. 13 October 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  13. ^ "Dong-gyeong Lee to join FC Schalke 04 on loan" (Press release). FC Schalke 04. 31 January 2022. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  14. ^ "F Düsseldorf 2-1 Schalke (13 Feb, 2022) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  15. ^ a b "Darum kommt Lee nicht in Fahrt" (in German). Bild. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  16. ^ "FC Schalke 04 renew Dong-gyeong Lee loan" (Press release). FC Schalke 04. 10 June 2022. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Dong-gyeong Lee leaves FC Schalke 04". FC Schalke 04. 1 September 2022. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  18. ^ a b Lee Dong-gyeong at WorldFootball.net
  19. ^ a b c [K리그 시상식] 울산 이동경, K리그 최고의 별로 우뚝…감독상은 전북 포옛 (종합). Naver (in Korean). STN Sports. 1 December 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  20. ^ a b c d Lee Dong-gyeong at Soccerway (archived)
  21. ^ "Dong-Gyeong Lee". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  22. ^ 이동경, 7월 게토레이 'G MOMENT AWARD' 수상. The Chosun Ilbo. Osen. 31 August 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  23. ^ 이동경(울산), EA 후원 ’이달의 선수상‘ 수상.. 울산 올 시즌 첫 수상 (in Korean). Football Asian. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  24. ^ '이병' 이동경 2회 연속 K리그 이달의선수 수상…역대 두번째 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  25. ^ 팀 K리그 22명 선수단 확정.. 린가드, 기성용 부상으로 정호연, 오베르단 대체 선발 (in Korean). K League. 23 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  26. ^ "K-League XI v Newcastle lineups & squad list". Soccerway. 30 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  27. ^ 조현우가 울먹였다! 16년만 골키퍼 MVP…감독상·영플은 ‘강원 동화 주역’ 윤정환·양민혁 품으로 [K리그 대상 종합]. Naver (in Korean). Sports Seoul. 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
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