Ri Jo-guk

Ri Jo-guk (; born 9 May 2002) is a North Korean professional footballer who plays as a striker for DPR Korea Premier Football League club Ryomyong SC and the North Korea national team.

Club career Ri began his youth career at Pyongyang sport school.

After his graduation, he joined Ryomyong SC. In 2024, he received his first trophy after Ryomyong SC won the DPR Korea Premier Football League.

International career

Under-23 Ri received his international call-up in 2023 to North Korea U23 for the 2022 Asian Games. He made his international debut against Chinese Taipei U23 in a 2–0 win, he also scored his first international goal after 12 minutes in the match. North Korea went through the group stage and defeated Bahrain U23 2–0 in the round of 16. However, in the quarter-finals, they faced Japan U23 and lost 2–1.

Senior In 2024, he was named in North Korea's squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification by coach Sin Yong-nam. On 21 March, he made his debut against Japan in a 1–0 loss. In the qualification 2nd round, he scored his first goal and also his first hattrick for the national team in a match against Myanmar to secure the 4–1 win, which helped the team qualify to the qualification 3rd round.

International goals No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 11 June 2024 New Laos National Stadium, Vientiane, Laos 2–0 4–1 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification 2. 3–0 3. 4–1 4. 5 June 2025 Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2–0 2–2 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Ryomyong SC

DPR Korea Premier Football League: 2023-2024