Kim Byung-ji

Kim Byung-ji (Korean: 김병지; born 8 April 1970) is a former football goalkeeper who played for the South Korea national team as well as several clubs in the K League.

Kim Byung-ji

Kim in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Kim Byung-ji
Date of birth	(1970-04-08) 8 April 1970 (age 55)
Place of birth	Miryang, Gyeongnam, South Korea
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1983–1985	Milyang Middle School
1986–1988	Aloysius Technical High School
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990–1992	Sangmu FC (draft)
1992–2000	Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i	177	(2)
2001–2005	Pohang Steelers	137	(0)
2006–2008	FC Seoul	58	(0)
2009–2012	Gyeongnam FC	122	(0)
2013–2015	Jeonnam Dragons	101	(0)
Total		595	(2)
International career
1995–2008	South Korea	61	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Kim Byung-ji
Hangul	김병지
Hanja	金秉址
RR	Gim Byeongji
MR	Kim Pyŏngji

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Playing career

Kim spent 24 seasons as a professional player from 1992 to 2015. He kept 229 clean sheets and scored three goals while playing a record 706 games in the K League and Korean League Cup.^[1]

Kim was selected for the South Korean squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. South Korea lost 5–0 to the Netherlands in its second match, and South Korean players couldn't avoid journalists' criticisms after the defeat.^[2][3] Furthermore, South Korea's manager Cha Bum-kun was sacked, although the tournament was ongoing.^[4] However, Kim struggled in the Netherlands' 17 shots on target,^[5] and became the only player to receive acclaim despite conceding five goals.^[6][7]

Style of play

Kim was a sweeper-keeper who could show clearances outside the penalty area at a rapid pace.^[8] He also had great reflexes, and was skilled in making super saves.^[9] However, his excessively active personality sometimes resulted in eccentric plays. In a match of the 2001 Lunar New Year Cup against Paraguay, he was deprived of the ball after he suddenly tried to dribble, and embarrassed Guus Hiddink, the former South Korea's manager.^[10] Kim formed a strong rivalry with Lee Woon-jae in the K League and the national team,^[11] and also competed with him for the position as a starter in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Hiddink agonised over the choice of a goalkeeper until the start of the tournament, but selected Lee because of Kim's eccentric play in the Lunar New Year Cup.^[10]

After retirement

Kim is currently working as a YouTuber in the "Kkong-byung-ji-tv", his YouTube channel, after his retirement in 2015.^[12]

On 27 January 2021, Kim was appointed a vice-president of the Korea Football Association (KFA).^[13]

On 28 May 2022, Kim signed with entertainment company Angry Dogs.^[14]

Kim became the president of Gangwon FC on 15 December 2022,^[15] and he resigned from KFA the next month to concentrate on Gangwon.^[16]

On 20 October 2024, he played as a goalkeeper for Team Spear at the Nexon Icons Match, which invited retired legendary players.^[17]

On 9 April 2025, Kim was once again appointed vice-president of the KFA by president Chung Mong-gyu, returning to the association.^[18]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition^[19]

Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Sangmu FC (draft)	1990	Semipro League	?	?	?[a]	?	—		—		?	?
	1991	Semipro League	?	?	?[a]	?	?	?	—		?	?
	1992	Semipro League	?	?	?[a]	?	?	?	—		?	?
	Total		?	?	?	?	?	?	—		?	?
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i	1992	K League	6	0	—		4	0	—		10	0
	1993	K League	21	0	—		4	0	—		25	0
	1994	K League	24	0	—		3	0	—		27	0
	1995	K League	28	0	—		7	0	—		35	0
	1996	K League	25	0	0	0	5	0	?[b]	?	30	0
	1997	K League	13	0	2	0	7	0	?[b]	?	22	0
	1998	K League	22	1	0	0	3	0	?[b]	?	25	1
	1999	K League	12	0	3	0	8	0	—		23	0
	2000	K League	26	1	2	0	5	1	—		33	2
	Total		177	2	7	0	46	1	?	?	230	3
Pohang Steelers	2001	K League	22	0	4	0	3	0	—		29	0
	2002	K League	21	0	4	0	0	0	—		25	0
	2003	K League	43	0	0	0	—		—		43	0
	2004	K League	27	0	0	0	12	0	—		39	0
	2005	K League	24	0	3	0	12	0	—		39	0
	Total		137	0	11	0	27	0	—		175	0
FC Seoul	2006	K League	27	0	3	0	13	0	—		43	0
	2007	K League	26	0	3	0	12	0	—		41	0
	2008	K League	5	0	1	0	1	0	—		7	0
	Total		58	0	7	0	26	0	—		91	0
Gyeongnam FC	2009	K League	26	0	2	0	3	0	—		31	0
	2010	K League	29	0	2	0	6	0	—		37	0
	2011	K League	30	0	0	0	3	0	—		33	0
	2012	K League	37	0	4	0	—		—		41	0
	Total		122	0	8	0	12	0	—		142	0
Jeonnam Dragons	2013	K League 1	36	0	0	0	—		—		36	0
	2014	K League 1	38	0	1	0	—		—		38	0
	2015	K League 1	27	0	4	0	—		—		27	0
	Total		101	0	5	0	0	0	—		106	0
Career total			595	2	38	0	111	1	?	?	744	3

1. Appearance(s) in Korean National Championship
2. Appearance(s) in Asian Club Championship

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[20]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
South Korea	1995	4	0
	1996	13	0
	1997	10	0
	1998	16	0
	1999	3	0
	2000	4	0
	2001	2	0
	2002	8	0
	2008	1	0
Career total		61	0

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Note(s)	Ref.
2021	Vincenzo	Youth football team coach		[21]
2021–present	Kick a Goal	Himself
2022	Steel Ball	Himself (host)		[22]

Honours

Player

Sangmu FC

• Korean Semi-professional League (Spring): 1992^[23]
• Korean Semi-professional League (Autumn): 1991^[23]

Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i

• K League 1: 1996^[23]
• Korean FA Cup runner-up: 1998^[24]
• Korean League Cup: 1995, 1998^[24]

Pohang Steelers

• Korean FA Cup runner-up: 2001, 2002^[24]

FC Seoul

• Korean League Cup: 2006^[24]

Individual

• Korean Semi-professional League (Autumn) Best Player: 1991^[25]
• K League All-Star: 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2015^{[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39]}
• K League 1 Best XI: 1996, 1998, 2005, 2007^{[40][41][42][43]}
• K League All-Star Game Most Valuable Player: 2000^[44]
• K League Hall of Fame: 2025^[45]

Records

• Most appearances in K League history: 706 appearances^[1]
• Most clean sheets in K League history: 229 clean sheets^[1]

Television personality

List of awards and nominations received by TV personality Kim Byung-ji

Award ceremony	Year	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
SBS Entertainment Awards	2022	Leader of the Year Award[a]	Kick a Goal	Won	[47]

1. Shared with Ha Seok-ju, Kim Tae-young, Choi Jin-cheul, Choi Sung-yong, Lee Eul-yong, Hyun Young-min, Lee Young-pyo, Oh Beom-seok, Cho Jae-jin and Baek Ji-hoon^[46]