Choe Song-hyok

Choe Song-hyok (, born 8 February 1998) is a North Korean professional footballer who plays as a winger for April 25 and the North Korean national team.

Club career

Youth career Choe started out with Chobyong, a North Korean academy known for developing young talent. Choe signed with Italian club Fiorentina in February 2016, joining the Primavera (under-19) squad. It was reported that the North Korean regime had placed strict restrictions on him during his time abroad. In addition to them keeping his travel documents, he was not allowed to use the internet, nor have relations with the media or teammates, unless directly related to football. Additionally, it was rumored that his signing bonus and 70% of his future salary would be repatriated to his home country. For this reason, in May, the Italian Parliament requested that the government review the contract. The following month, Fiorentina decided to terminate his contract.

Professional career In July 2017, Choe signed a three-year deal with Serie B side Perugia.

After only two appearances with the club (both with the under-19 squad), Choe was loaned out to fellow Serie C side Olbia in January 2018.

On 13 July 2018, he signed with another Serie C club Arezzo. He made just 2 appearances in the league (16 minutes of field time) in the next 1.5-years, and on 31 January 2020, his Arezzo contract was terminated by mutual consent.

In April 2025, The Pyongyang Times reported that Choe is playing for April 25. He helped April 25 win the 2024–25 DPR Korea Premier Football League and was therefore given the league's Best player award.

International career Choe gained prominence by leading the North Korea U16s to a first-place finish at the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship, scoring the game-winning strike against South Korea in the final. However, North Korea was knocked out in the round of 16 by Mali.

He earned two caps for the national under-19 team at the 2016 AFC U-19 Championship, and two more at the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship.

Choe made his debut for the senior national squad on 25 December 2018 in a friendly against Vietnam.

Honours April 25 DPR Korea Premier Football League: 2024–25 North Korea U16 AFC U-16 Championship: 2014 Individual DPR Korea Premier Football League Best player: 2024–25