1. Career
Lee Soon-min's career has seen him play for several clubs in the K League, contributing to team successes and earning individual accolades, in addition to representing his country at the international level.
1.1. Club Career
Lee Soon-min's club career began in 2017 and has progressed through various K League divisions, marked by significant contributions to his teams.
1.1.1. Gwangju FC
Lee Soon-min joined Gwangju FC ahead of the 2017 season. After a period away for mandatory military service, he returned to Gwangju in June 2020. On July 21, 2021, he scored his first professional goal in a match against Gangwon FC. In the 2022 season, Lee played a crucial role in helping Gwangju secure promotion back to K League 1 after just one season in K League 2. His performance that year earned him a spot in the K League 2 Best XI.
1.1.2. Pocheon Citizen FC
In 2018, Lee Soon-min was loaned to Pocheon Citizen FC to fulfill his mandatory military service as a social service agent. He played for the club during his service period before returning to Gwangju FC.
1.1.3. Daejeon Hana Citizen
Lee Soon-min currently plays for Daejeon Hana Citizen in the K League 1. He joined the club for the 2024 season.
1.2. International Career
Lee Soon-min made his debut for the South Korea senior national team in August 2023. He received his first call-up from head coach Jürgen Klinsmann for friendly matches against the Wales national team and the Saudi Arabia national team. He was also part of the South Korea squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
1.3. Career Statistics
As of November 10, 2024, Lee Soon-min's career statistics are as follows:
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gwangju FC | 2017 | K League 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 28 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 29 | 1 | ||||
| 2022 | K League 2 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 32 | 2 | |||
| 2023 | K League 1 | 35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 35 | 1 | |||
| Total | 97 | 4 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 101 | 4 | ||||
| Pocheon Citizen (draft) | 2018 | K3 League | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 17 | 2 | ||
| 2019 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 17 | 1 | ||||
| 2020 | K4 League | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 1 | |||
| Total | 34 | 4 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 38 | 4 | ||||
| Daejeon Hana Citizen | 2024 | K League 1 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 26 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 156 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 165 | 8 | ||
2. Honours
Lee Soon-min has achieved both team and individual honours throughout his football career.
2.1. Team Honours
- K League 2: 2022 (with Gwangju FC)
2.2. Individual Honours
- K League 2 Best XI: 2022
- K League 1 Best XI: 2023
3. Personal Life and Other Activities
Beyond his professional football career, Lee Soon-min is known for his personal interests, particularly in music, and his family connections within the football industry.
3.1. Rap and Music
Lee Soon-min has a strong passion for rap music, to the extent that he submitted an application video for Show Me The Money 10, a popular South Korean rap competition. He is widely known by the moniker 'rapper national team' and operates his own YouTube channel, titled 'WERO's WERO', under the rap name WEROKorean. Following the 2022 season, in which Gwangju FC secured promotion, Lee announced his plans to release a new song. He also performed a congratulatory act at the 2022 K League Awards ceremony held on October 24, 2022.
3.2. Family
Lee Soon-min's older brother, Lee Soon-seok, is also involved in the football industry. Lee Soon-seok previously worked as a video analyst for Ulsan HD FC (formerly Ulsan Hyundai).