Kim Sang-sik
Overview
Kim Sang-sik (김상식) is a South Korean former football player and football manager, born on December 17, 1976. During his playing career, he played as a defensive midfielder and defender and showed steady ability in the K League, and after retirement he grew as a manager at Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (전북 현대 모터스), leading the club to a K League 1 title. Starting in 2024, he has taken charge of the Vietnam national football team (베트남 축구 국가대표팀), continuing a new challenge in Southeast Asian football.
Main content
Playing career
Kim Sang-sik graduated from Yonsei University and debuted in the professional ranks in 1999 by joining Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (성남 일화 천마; now Seongnam FC). He later moved to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, where he played a key role in the team's midfield and defensive line. Based on his tireless activity, accurate passing, and excellent positioning, he established himself as a core player and appeared in many K League matches. As a player, he was evaluated less as a flashy player and more as a 'dirty-work specialist' who quietly dedicated himself to the team, and this tendency greatly influenced the formation of his philosophy as a manager later.
Managerial career
After retirement, Kim Sang-sik began his managerial career as a coach at Jeonbuk Hyundai. He served in various roles, including senior coach and coach positions, and built up team tactical operation and player management skills, learning practical work under several managers such as Choi Kang-hee (최강희) and José Morais (조세 모라이스). In particular, he was recognized for his ability as a manager by serving as a link between the club's youth system and the first team.
Jeonbuk Hyundai manager period
At the end of 2020, Kim Sang-sik was appointed manager of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. In 2021, his first season in charge, he led the team to the K League 1 title, proving his ability as a manager. This was significant in that it was one of Jeonbuk's many titles in their history and an achievement in his debut season as a manager. However, in subsequent seasons, he was pushed out of the league title race due to the strength of Ulsan Hyundai and the team's generational change issues, drawing criticism for poor results, and he stepped down from the managerial position at the end of the 2023 season. His time at Jeonbuk left a double-sided evaluation: the achievement of being 'a manager who led the team to a title' and the task of 'rebuilding'.
Vietnam national team manager
In 2024, Kim Sang-sik was appointed as the new manager of the Vietnam national football team. Taking over as the successor to former manager Philippe Troussier (필리프 트루시에), he focused on understanding the characteristics of Southeast Asian football and building tactics that make the most of Vietnam's distinctive organization and quick transitions between attack and defense. In the early days of his appointment, he drew expectations from Vietnamese football fans by achieving results in major tournaments such as the AFF Championship (Mitsubishi Electric Cup), and he led the team on the international stage, including the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian qualifiers. Amid the trend of more South Korean managers taking charge of Southeast Asian national teams, he drew attention as part of the 'lineage of South Korean managers' following former manager Park Hang-seo (박항서).
Managerial philosophy and style
Kim Sang-sik aims for organized football grounded in fundamentals. He values the balance and discipline of the whole team over individual player talent, and is known for a style of managing matches based on defensive organization and control of the midfield. He also places importance on communication and building trust with players, and pays attention to developing young players and generational change. This philosophy is evaluated as stemming from the colors of the teams he was part of during his playing days and the experience he accumulated as a manager.
Recent developments
From 2024 to 2025, Kim Sang-sik has been leading the Vietnam national team and operating it in various arenas, including ASEAN regional competitions, international friendlies, and World Cup qualifiers. In Southeast Asian football, the strength of competitors such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia is rising rapidly, so whether Vietnam can maintain its regional hegemony is considered a major point of interest. Amid the recent trend of South Korean managers expanding overseas, his managerial career in Vietnam is evaluated as an example showing the international capabilities of a K League-origin manager. In addition, reexamination of the achievements and limitations of his time at Jeonbuk Hyundai continues, and the evaluation of his managerial career is expected to vary depending on the possibility of his return to the K League and his results with the Vietnam national team.
Related topics
- [[Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors]]
- [[Vietnam national football team]]
- [[K League 1]]
- [[Park Hang-seo]]
- [[Football manager]]