Choe Yu-ri

Choe Yu-ri (; born 16 September 1994) is a South Korean footballer who plays as a forward for WK League club Suwon FC Women and the South Korea women's national team.

Early life Choe started playing football in elementary school, after a coach from the school's football team noticed her ability to run very fast at a school sports day. She is close friends with forward Lee Geum-min, who attended the same high school and college.

Club career

Military enlistment refusal In the 2015 WK League rookie player draft, Choe was selected by Busan Sangmu, a military team requiring all players to join the military and undertake basic training. At first, Choe stated that she would join the team despite reservations about joining the military, in particular the effect that such a career move would have upon her training with the national squad. However, she eventually refused to join the military, considering it an infringement of her freedom to choose a career. According to the rules of the WK League draft at the time, any player who refused to join their drafted team was not permitted to play in the league for two years, and as such Choe was absent from the WK League in 2015. Following the incident, the KWFF revised the rules of the draft with regards to the military team, and held a special draft for Choe to give her a second chance.

WK League Choe was signed by Daejeon Sportstoto in late 2015, having missed only one season of league football. She played for the side for five years before transferring to Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels ahead of the 2021 season. Choe made 55 appearances for the Red Angels, scoring 20 goals and providing six assists. Choe started her second season at Birmingham with three goal involvements, recording a goal and two assists in the club's opening match against Sunderland.

Return to WK League Following the expiration of her contract at Birmingham in 2025, Choe returned to South Korea and joined her former club Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels. After spending half a season with Incheon, Choe transferred to Suwon FC ahead of the 2026 season.

International career Choe made her full international debut for South Korea at the 2014 Cyprus Women's Cup before making her first appearance at a major tournament later the same year at the Asian Games. Choe has since become a regular member of the national team. She was a member of the South Korean squad that finished as runners-up at the 2022 Asian Cup, scoring the first goal in the final against China.

Style of play Besides her goal-scoring ability, Choe is known for her speed and stamina. Her high-intensity play has drawn comparisons to South Korean international midfielder Hwang Hee-chan. Since her youth, she played mostly as a midfielder or winger, but started playing in a more attacking role from the 2020 season onwards.

Career statistics International

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