Castrop becomes first foreign-born mixed player for Korea

Jens Castrop, 22, a midfielder for Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany’s Bundesliga, became the first mixed-race player born outside the country to be named to South Korea’s men’s national team.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo, 56, announced the September friendly roster on Aug. 25 at the Korea Football Association headquarters in Seoul’s Jongno district, including Castrop. The son of a German father and Korean mother, he holds dual citizenship. Born in Düsseldorf, he represented Germany’s youth teams until last year. In February, he moved from Nuremberg in Bundesliga 2, Germany’s second division, to top-flight Mönchengladbach. On the same day, he made his Bundesliga debut, coming on as a substitute in a scoreless home draw against Hamburg in the opening round of the 2025–2026 season.

Castrop is the third mixed-race player chosen for South Korea, after Jang Dae-il, 50, whose father was British, and Kang Soo-il, 38, whose father was American. Both had Korean mothers and were born in South Korea.

“Castrop has steadily developed with his experience in Germany,” Hong said. “I placed great value on his strong desire to join the national team.” On Aug. 11, he switched his association from the German Football Association to the Korea Football Association through FIFA, a step required before Hong could call him up.

Castrop is a midfielder recognized for his work rate and relentless defense. “He is a different kind of player from our current midfielders,” Hong said. “I expect his fighter’s mentality to help the team.”

South Korea, preparing for the 2026 World Cup in North America, will play two friendlies in the United States, one of the host nations. Ranked 23rd by FIFA, the team meets the United States, ranked 15th, on Sept. 7 and Mexico, ranked 13th, on Sept. 10. “Both the United States and Mexico are strong, so it will be a valuable test,” Hong said.


한종호 기자 hjh@donga.com