| Joo Min-kyu | |
| Birth Date: | 13 April 1990 |
| Birth Place: | Cheongju, South Korea |
| Height: | 1.83 m |
| Currentclub: | Ulsan HD |
| Clubnumber: | 18 |
| Position: | Striker |
| Youthyears1: | 2009–2012 |
| Youthclubs1: | Hanyang University |
| Years1: | 2013–2014 |
| Clubs1: | Goyang Hi |
| Caps1: | 56 |
| Goals1: | 7 |
| Years2: | 2015–2018 |
| Clubs2: | Seoul E-Land |
| Caps2: | 72 |
| Goals2: | 37 |
| Years3: | 2017–2018 |
| Clubs3: | → Sangju Sangmu (draft) |
| Caps3: | 43 |
| Goals3: | 21 |
| Years4: | 2019 |
| Clubs4: | Ulsan HD |
| Caps4: | 28 |
| Goals4: | 5 |
| Years5: | 2020–2022 |
| Clubs5: | Jeju United |
| Caps5: | 89 |
| Goals5: | 47 |
| Years6: | 2023– |
| Clubs6: | Ulsan HD |
| Caps6: | 69 |
| Goals6: | 27 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2024– |
| Nationalteam1: | South Korea |
| Nationalcaps1: | 8 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 2 |
| Pcupdate: | 10 November 2024 |
| Ntupdate: | 19 November 2024 |
Joo Min-kyu (; born 13 April 1990) is a South Korean football player who plays for Ulsan Hyundai and the South Korea national team.
Joo was selected by Goyang Hi in the 2014 K League Challenge draft after graduating from Hanyang University.[1]
On 8 January 2015, Joo moved to Seoul E-Land.
On 5 December 2016, Joo was loaned out to Sangju Sangmu.
On 4 January 2019, Joo moved to Korean giants, Ulsan Hyundai.
On 6 February 2020, Joo moved to Jeju United. He helped the club to win the 2020 K League 2 thus gaining promotion to the K League 1.
In the next season, Joo was the 2021 K League 1 top scorer with 22 goals helping his club to finished in fourth place. Joo was than named in the K League Best XI in the 2021 and 2022 season.
On 4 January 2023, Joo returned to Ulsan Hyundai. He helped the club to win the 2023 K League 1 while finishing as the league joint top scorer with Tiago Orobó (17 goals). He was also named in the K League Best XI for the third consecutive time.
Joo made his debut for the South Korea national team on 21 March 2024 in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Thailand in a 3−0 win at the Rajamangala Stadium.[2] On 6 June 2024, He recorded a hat-trick of assists and scoring his first goal for South Korea in a 7–0 thrashing win against Singapore at the Singapore National Stadium.
| Club | Season | League | Korean FA Cup | Asia | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Goyang Hi | 2013 | K League 2 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 2 | |||
| 2014 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 5 | |||||
| Total | 56 | 7 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 59 | 7 | |||||
| Seoul E-Land | 2015 | K League 2 | 40 | 23 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 42 | 25 | |||
| 2016 | 29 | 14 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 14 | |||||
| Total | 69 | 37 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 72 | 39 | |||||
| Sangju Sangmu (draft) | 2017 | K League 1 | 32 | 17 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 35 | 17 | ||
| 2018 | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 43 | 21 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 46 | 21 | ||||
| Seoul E-Land | 2018 | K League 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| Ulsan HD | 2019 | K League 1 | 28 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 33 | 6 | ||
| Jeju United | 2020 | K League 2 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 8 | |||
| 2021 | K League 1 | 34 | 22 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 34 | 22 | ||||
| 2022 | 37 | 17 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 39 | 19 | |||||
| Total | 89 | 47 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 91 | 49 | |||||
| Ulsan HD | 2023 | K League 1 | 36 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 41 | 17 | ||
| 2024 | 33 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 3 | — | 46 | 13 | ||||
| Total | 69 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 3 | — | 87 | 30 | ||||
| Career total | 357 | 144 | 15 | 4 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 391 | 152 | |||
Scores and results list South Korea's goal tally first.[3]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 June 2024 | Singapore National Stadium, Singapore | 2–0 | 7–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | ||
| 2 | 10 September 2024 | Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat, Oman | 3–1 | 3–1 |
Jeju United
2020Ulsan HD