17 Facts About Kwoun Sun-tae

Kwoun Sun-tae is currently assistant goalkeeping coach at Kashima Antlers.

Kwoun Sun-tae made 43 first team appearances in his first season, most notably winning the 2006 AFC Champions League after beating Al-Karamah SC in the final.

Kwoun Sun-tae was an integral part of the team during the 2009 season, where Jeonbuk claimed their first ever K-League title.

Kwoun Sun-tae continued to play for the club until 2011, when he was required to carry out mandatory military service and joined military club Sangju Sangmu for just under two seasons.

Kwoun Sun-tae later said that the disappointing experience of seeing Jeonbuk lose at home in this final would change his mentality and spur him on to be more prepared for finals in the future.

Kwoun Sun-tae played a key role as Jeonbuk went on to win back-to-back league titles and would have won three in a row if they were not deducted nine points for their part in a scandal which involved bribing referees during the 2013 season.

Kwoun Sun-tae was selected as the best goalkeeper in the league for three straight seasons, being named part of the K League Best XI in 2014,2015 and 2016.

Kwoun Sun-tae had a fantastic performance in the second leg, denying Al-Ain striker Douglas multiple times as well as a pulling off a crucial reaction save to deny substitute Ibrahim Diaky late in the game.

When it was later revealed that Jeonbuk would be refused entry into the 2017 AFC Champions League after an additional review into their 2013 bribery scandal, Kwoun Sun-tae eventually accepted an offer of a three-year contract from J-League champions Kashima Antlers.

Kwoun Sun-tae was not first-choice goalkeeper with Kashima in his first season, despite being given the number one shirt, as long term servant of the club Hitoshi Sogahata retained the main goalkeeping duties.

Much like the 2016 final, Kwoun Sun-tae played magnificently, keeping a clean sheet in both legs against Persepolis.

Kwoun Sun-tae was rewarded with the player of the week award for his heroics in the second leg after making 6 saves and topping the player ratings.

Kwoun Sun-tae continued to be an ever present part of the team during the 2019 season, but from the 2020 season team-mate Yuya Oki started the majority of games for Kashima in place of Kwoun Sun-tae.

In 2012, Kwoun Sun-tae was called up for international duty but did not play.

Kwoun Sun-tae made his international debut match for South Korea against Laos on September 3,2015, and kept a clean sheet.

Kwoun Sun-tae went on to make another four appearances for the national team during the qualification round of the 2018 World Cup, only conceding three goals in total.

Kwoun Sun-tae remained at Kashima Antlers after retirement, having been handed a position on Ranko Popovic's coaching staff as an assistant goalkeeping coach.