Kwon Chang-hoon

Club career

Suwon Samsung Bluewings Kwon was promoted to the senior team of Suwon Samsung Bluewings during the 2013 K League draft. making his professional debut. On 6 April, he made his K League 1 debut in a 3–1 win over Daegu FC. On 30 April, he scored his first goal for Suwon in a 2–2 Champions League draw with Guizhou Renhe.

Kwon was a substitute of Suwon until 2014, but became a key player after changing his position from central midfielder to attacking midfielder in 2015. That year, he scored 10 league goals and was selected for the league's Best XI. On 3 December, he lifted the FA Cup trophy after the team defeated FC Seoul 10–9 on penalties in the final.

Dijon In January 2017, Kwon joined Ligue 1 club Dijon on a 3.5-year deal. The transfer fee paid to Suwon was estimated at €1.5 million. In the 2017–18 season, he scored 11 league goals, taking charge of Dijon's attack with striker Júlio Tavares, who scored 12 goals. However, he injured his Achilles tendon in the last league match of the season, and showed a decline in his ability due to the aftereffect as well as being absent from the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

SC Freiburg On 28 June 2019, Kwon transferred to Bundesliga side SC Freiburg. On 24 August, he scored his first goal for Freiburg, while making his Bundesliga debut in a 3–1 win over SC Paderborn. He played 35 league matches including 28 matches as a substitute for two years at Freiburg due to his frequent injuries. He returned to his country at the end of the 2020–21 season to prepare for his military duty.

Return to Suwon Enlistment in Gimcheon Sangmu Kwon rejoined Suwon Samsung Bluewings on 26 May 2021, and played for them before enlisting in K League 1's military team Gimcheon Sangmu in December. In 2022, he showed poor performances without a goal while playing 33 league matches for Gimcheon. He did not bring out a different side of him in the relegation play-offs, where the club lost 6–1 on aggregate to Daejeon Hana Citizen. On 22 April 2023, he suffered an Achilles injury again in a K League 2 match against Seoul E-Land, starting to take a rest.

Discharge from Gimcheon On 26 June 2023, Kwon was discharged from Gimcheon Sangmu, coming back to Suwon Samsung Bluewings. He attempted to transfer to a European club during the summer transfer window, but did not receive an offer. He had remained at the club, but did not feature for Suwon due to persistent injuries until the club was relegated to the K League 2 at the end of the 2023 season. Following the expiration of his contract, it was reported that he would leave for league rivals Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Suwon fans, who had not been able to meet him throughout the season, were disconcerted by the sudden news, and their confusion was converted into fury over him after it was confirmed. He was guaranteed the club's highest salary and received support from the club to overcome long-term injuries, whereas he did not visit the stadium to greet their fans until their relegation was decided.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors On 7 January 2024, Kwon joined K League 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on a free transfer. In 2025, he started to be used as a left-back by manager Gus Poyet. He played as a substitute for Jeonbuk, but his positional change helped the team win the Double.

Persija Jakarta Kwon played for fellow K League 1 side Jeju SK between March and May 2026 after receiving an offer from Sérgio Costa, their new manager and former assistant coach of the South Korea national team. On 17 July, however, he moved to Super League (Indonesia) club Persija Jakarta, managed by Shin Tae-yong, the former South Korea manager and another of his mentors.

International career

As a youth international, Kwon participated at the 2012 AFC U-19 Championship and the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and won the former tournament.

Kwon was called up to the South Korea national team for the 2015 EAFF East Asian Cup. He made his international debut in a 2–0 East Asian Cup win over China. On 3 September 2015, he scored his first and second international goals in a FIFA World Cup qualifier against Laos, where South Korea won 8–0.

While Kwon played for South Korea under-23 team at the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship, his winning goal in the 3–1 semi-final win over Qatar led them to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. During the Summer Olympics, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over Mexico, which sent the team to the quarter-finals.

Kwon became one of South Korea's key players after manager Shin Tae-yong was promoted from the under-23 team to the senior team in August 2017. He was named in their preliminary 28-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup as expected, but his Achilles tendon injury in Dijon's last match of the season excluded him from the squad for the tournament.

Kwon steadily played for South Korea under manager Paulo Bento, but his call-up was criticised by fans, who regarded other players as better players than him. Despite their criticism, Bento continuously trusted him until the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In a 3–2 loss to Ghana, he made his World Cup debut, but the assessment about him was not overturned.

Career statistics Club

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

Honours Suwon Samsung Bluewings Korean FA Cup: 2016

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors K League 1: 2025 Korea Cup: 2025

Persija Jakarta Piala Presiden third place: 2026

South Korea U20 AFC U-19 Championship: 2012

South Korea U23 AFC U-23 Championship runner-up: 2016

South Korea EAFF Championship: 2015

Individual K League All-Star: 2015, 2022 K League 1 Best XI: 2015, 2016