Pak Kwang-ryong

3.1. Early Career and European Debut

Pak began his professional career in North Korea, playing for Kigwancha SC (based in Sinuiju) and Wolmido SC from 2007 to 2011. In 2011, he made his first move to European football, joining FC Wil 1900 in Switzerland. However, he did not make any league appearances for FC Wil, as the club had already filled its quota for foreign players.

3.2. FC Basel and Loan Spells

On 27 June 2011, FC Basel announced that they had signed Pak Kwang-ryong to a five-year contract. He joined Basel's first team for their 2011-12 FC Basel season under head coach Thorsten Fink. In his very first test game for the club against a district selection team from Miesbach, Pak scored four goals after coming on as a substitute at half-time. At the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Pak was part of the Basel team that won the 2011 Uhrencup, defeating Hertha BSC 3-0 and West Ham United 2-1, with Pak scoring Basel's first goal against West Ham. He made his domestic league debut for Basel on 16 July 2011 in a 1-1 away draw against BSC Young Boys at the Stadion Wankdorf.

Being born in 1992, Pak was also eligible to play for Basel's newly formed Under-19 team in the 2011-12 NextGen series. He scored his first goal for the U-19 team on 17 August 2011 in their inaugural game against Tottenham Hotspur F.C.. On 14 September 2011, Pak made history by becoming the first North Korean to play in the UEFA Champions League campaign, coming on as a substitute in the 92nd minute. On his 19th birthday, 27 September 2011, he again featured in a UEFA Champions League match, coming on as a substitute in the 81st minute of Basel's 3-3 away draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Pak scored his first competitive goals for the senior team in an away game during the 2011-12 Swiss Cup on 17 September 2011, netting two goals as Basel secured a 4-0 victory against amateur club FC Eschenbach. At the end of the 2011-12 season, he won the Double with FC Basel, securing the League Championship title with a 20-point advantage and the 2011-12 Swiss Cup, winning the final 4-2 in a penalty shootout against FC Luzern.

During the 2012-13 FC Basel season, Pak found it difficult to secure a regular spot in the first team but played consistently for the U-21 side, scoring six goals in twelve appearances during the first half of the season. On 11 January 2013, Basel loaned him to AC Bellinzona in the Swiss Challenge League to gain more playing experience. At Bellinzona, he made 17 appearances, scoring 7 goals and providing 4 assists.

On 20 June 2013, Basel announced another loan spell for Pak, this time to the Liechtensteiner club FC Vaduz in the Swiss Challenge League. However, following the transfer of Raúl Bobadilla to FC Augsburg and an injury to Marco Streller, Basel decided to recall Pak to their squad. He played just one more game for Basel before being loaned back to Vaduz from January 2014 until the end of the season. During this second loan spell, he played in all 18 games, scoring 9 goals. Vaduz went on to win the 2013-14 Swiss Challenge League season and were promoted to the Swiss Super League. His loan to Vaduz was renewed for the subsequent Swiss Super League season. Across his time at FC Vaduz, he made a total of 52 appearances, scoring 13 goals and assisting 6.

At the end of the 2014-15 season, FC Basel did not renew Pak's contract. During his tenure with Basel's first team, Pak played a total of 42 games, scoring 10 goals. This included 14 appearances in the Swiss Super League (1 goal), three in the Swiss Cup (2 goals), four in UEFA competitions (Champions League and Europa League), and 21 friendly games (7 goals). During his time at FC Basel from 2011 to 2013, Pak Kwang-ryong played alongside Park Joo-ho, a defender for the South Korean national team.

3.3. Career in Swiss and Austrian Leagues

On 1 July 2015, Pak Kwang-ryong joined FC Biel-Bienne as a free agent. He made 19 appearances, scoring 8 goals and providing 4 assists for the club. On 4 January 2016, Biel-Bienne annulled his contract, and he subsequently signed with FC Lausanne-Sport. At Lausanne, he recorded 40 appearances, 11 goals, and 4 assists. He contributed to Lausanne-Sport's victory in the 2015-16 Swiss Challenge League and their subsequent promotion to the top flight. In the 2015-16 Swiss Challenge League season, he scored 10 goals, ranking joint-fifth in the league's scoring charts alongside Patrick Rossini of FC Aarau. In the 2016-17 season, he played 31 games, including 30 league matches, scoring 4 goals.

In August 2017, after the 2016-17 season, Pak moved to Austria, signing a two-year contract with SKN St. Pölten in the Austrian Football Bundesliga. In February 2019, his contract was extended. During his time at St. Pölten, he made 52 appearances and scored 10 goals until the 2018-19 season, contributing to the team's advancement to the 2018-19 League Championship Round. He left the team after three years due to the European Union's sanctions against North Korea.

4.1. Youth Career

Pak was a key player for the North Korea U-23 national team. He participated in the 2010 Asian Games football tournament, where he made 3 appearances and scored 3 goals. He also played in the 2014 Asian Games football tournament, contributing to North Korea's silver medal finish, which was the country's first Asian Games football medal since 1990.

4.2. Senior Career

Pak Kwang-ryong joined the North Korea national football team in 2009, making his debut in December of that year against the Mali national team. He scored his first international A-match goal against Kyrgyzstan in the second group stage match of the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup, laying the groundwork for North Korea's first-ever AFC Challenge Cup title. Two years later, in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup semi-final against Palestine, he scored multiple goals, playing a crucial role in North Korea's second consecutive Challenge Cup victory. For his performance in this tournament, he was also selected for the Best XI.

He participated in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, playing in both matches against the Japanese national team. Pak was also a member of the North Korean squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. He continued to represent his country in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification. In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals, he scored the team's only goal of the tournament against Lebanon. He also featured in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, notably matching up against Joan Oumari of the Lebanese national team in a match on 19 November 2019. As of his last recorded international appearances, he has played 39 A-matches and scored 14 goals for North Korea.

5.1. Club Statistics

5.2. International Statistics

Scores and results list North Korea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pak goal.

6.1. Club Honours

• FC Basel
  • Swiss Super League: 2011-12
  • Swiss Cup: 2011-12
  • Uhrencup: 2011
• FC Vaduz
  • Liechtenstein Cup: 2013-14, 2014-15
  • Swiss Challenge League: 2013-14
• Lausanne-Sport
  • Swiss Challenge League: 2015-16

6.2. International Honours

• North Korea
  • AFC Challenge Cup: 2010, 2012
  • Asian Games (Silver Medal): 2014

6.3. Individual Honours

• North Korea Male Footballer of the Year: 2013
• AFC Challenge Cup Best XI: 2012