# Jong Il-gwan

Jong Il-gwan (Korean: 정일관; Hanja: 鄭日冠; born 30 October 1992) is a North Korean professional footballer who plays as a striker for DPR Korea Premier Football League club Ryomyong and the North Korea national team. He is the country's all-time top scorer.

## Club career

On 24 November 2010, Jong was crowned AFC Youth Player of the Year. On 5 June 2012, numerous reports surfaced linking the player with a move to Newcastle United with later reports strongly linking him with FK Partizan and PSV Eindhoven. He was transferred to Swiss Super League club FC Luzern in July 2017, signing a two-year contract.
On 1 August 2022, Jong won his club's first ever Hwaebul Cup after scoring a 96th minute winner for Ryomyong against April 25 in a 2–1 win.
On 19 March 2024, the Japanese newspaper Choson Sinbo revealed that Jong signed for Choson University of Physical Education club.
On 30 August 2024, a Championat Asia article revealed that Jong had returned to Ryomyong.

## International career

Jong made his senior international debut for North Korea on 26 March 2011 against Iraq in a 2–0 defeat.
Jong made his EAFF preliminaries debut in 2012 against Chinese Taipei. He scored his first competition goal in a 5–0 win against Guam in the second preliminary round. Jong scored a brace in 2014 against the same opposition for the second preliminary round, helping his side qualify for the final tournament. He scored another goal against Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong in 2016 for the 2017 edition's second preliminaries. On 16 December 2017, Jong scored a stunning free kick against China in a 1–1 draw.
In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Jong was named captain of the national team. Against Qatar, he was sent off towards the end of the match.
On 21 November 2023, Jong scored his first international hat-trick against Myanmar in a 6–1 win at the Thuwunna Stadium during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification phase.
On 6 June 2024, Jong scored a 90+2' stoppage time winner against Syria. That goal helped North Korea stay in the running for the third round of qualifying.

## Style of play

Jong is known for being a pacy and technical forward who can play on either flanks or up top. He has an expert first touch and vision and has an eye for exploiting spaces in between defenders. Jong is also a set piece specialist, scoring multiple free kicks in his international career.

## Career statistics

    As of match played 6 June 2024
    Scores and results list North Korean goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Jong goal.
List of international goals scored by Jong Il-gwan :
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 9 April 2011 | Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal | Nepal | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification |
| 2 | 19 March 2012 | Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu, Nepal | Turkmenistan | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2012 AFC Challenge Cup |
| 3 | 10 September 2012 | Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, Indonesia | Indonesia | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 4 | 3 December 2012 | Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong | Guam | 5–0 | 5–0 | 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup qualification |
| 5 | 16 November 2014 | Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan | Guam | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup preliminary |
| 6 | 16 November 2014 | Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan | Guam | 2–1 | 5–1 | 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup preliminary |
| 7 | 3 September 2015 | Bahrain National Stadium, Riffa, Bahrain | Bahrain | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 13 October 2015 | Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea | Yemen | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 9 | 17 November 2015 | Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea | Bahrain | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 14 August 2016 | UiTM Stadium, Shah Alam, Malaysia | Iraq | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 11 | 21 August 2016 | Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium, Paroi, Malaysia | Iraq | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 12 | 24 August 2016 | Shanghai Stadium, Shanghai, China | United Arab Emirates | 1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 13 | 10 October 2016 | Rizal Memorial Stadium, Manila, Philippines | Philippines | 1–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 14 | 6 November 2016 | Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong | Chinese Taipei | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification |
| 15 | 12 November 2016 | Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong | Hong Kong | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification |
| 16 | 10 November 2017 | New I-Mobile Stadium, Buriram, Thailand | Malaysia | 4–0 | 4–1 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 17 | 16 December 2017 | Ajinomoto Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | China | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2017 EAFF E-1 Football Championship |
| 18 | 27 March 2018 | Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea | Hong Kong | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 19 | 11 November 2018 | Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan | Mongolia | 4–0 | 4–1 | 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification |
| 20 | 16 November 2018 | Taipei Municipal Stadium, Taipei, Taiwan | Chinese Taipei | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship qualification |
| 21 | 25 December 2018 | Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam | Vietnam | 1–1 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 22 | 8 July 2019 | TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India | Syria | 1–0 | 2–5 | 2019 Intercontinental Cup |
| 23 | 13 July 2019 | TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India | India | 1–0 | 5–2 | 2019 Intercontinental Cup |
| 24 | 13 July 2019 | TransStadia Arena, Ahmedabad, India | India | 2–0 | 5–2 | 2019 Intercontinental Cup |
| 25 | 5 September 2019 | Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea | Lebanon | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 26 | 5 September 2019 | Kim Il Sung Stadium, Pyongyang, North Korea | Lebanon | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 27 | 21 November 2023 | Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar | Myanmar | 1–0 | 6–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 28 | 21 November 2023 | Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar | Myanmar | 4–0 | 6–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 29 | 21 November 2023 | Thuwunna Stadium, Yangon, Myanmar | Myanmar | 5–0 | 6–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 30 | 6 June 2024 | New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos | Syria | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 31 | 10 October 2024 | Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |

## Honours

North Korea U20
* AFC U-19 Championship: 2010
North Korea
* Hero Intercontinental Cup: 2019
Individual
* 2010 AFC U-19 Championship Golden Ball
* Hero Intercontinental Cup Best player: 2019