S. Koreans Seol Young-woo, Kim Hye-ri nominated for top Asian football awards

South Korean players Seol Young-woo and Kim Hye-ri have been nominated for the top individual honors in Asian football, with Seoul set to host the ceremony next week.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) unveiled the list of candidates for the AFC Annual Awards late Tuesday. The Grand Peace Palace in Kyung Hee University in the South Korean capital will provide the stage for the awards ceremony next Tuesday.

Seol, the national team mainstay as a fullback, is up for the AFC Player of the Year award, alongside Yazan Al-Naimat of Jordan and Akram Afif of Qatar.

Calling him an “indefatigable defender,” the AFC noted that Seol started every South Korean match at the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year and memorably set up Cho Gue-sung’s last-gasp equalizer in the round of 16 against Saudi Arabia. The Taegeuk Warriors went on to win the match on penalties.

Seol, an Ulsan native, made his K League 1 professional debut with Ulsan HD FC in 2020, and helped them win back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023. The 25-year-old is now plying his trade with the Serbian club Crvena zvezda.

Seol is the first South Korean nominee for this award since Ha Dae-sung in 2013.

Kim, a 34-year-old defender, is a longtime captain for the South Korean women’s national team and also the country’s fourth most-capped female player with 126 appearances.

The AFC said Kim became one of seven South Korean players to appear at three editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup when she captained the team at the 2023 tournament, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

At club level, Kim led her Hyundai Steel Red Angels to their 11th straight WK League title in 2023. She has been a champion in every season since joining Red Angels in 2014.

Kim is up against Cortnee Vine of Australia and Kiko Seike of Japan.

This will be the 28th edition of the AFC Annual Awards and the first to be held in South Korea.