Tottenham winger Yang Min-Hyeok has helped South Korea reach the Asian Games semi-finals. His international run adds another chapter to a season on loan in Belgium.
Yang Min-Hyeok’s international tournament will continue into the final four after South Korea Under-23s beat Vietnam 4-0 in Friday’s Asian Games quarter-final. The Tottenham Hotspur winger started the match in Japan and played the first 45 minutes before coming off at half-time. South Korea’s semi-final is scheduled for Wednesday.
That appearance followed his first start of the tournament against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Yang played 54 minutes in a 2-0 victory that took Korea into the quarter-finals. He had previously featured for 18 minutes in their 4-1 group-stage win over Qatar. His involvement has therefore grown as the competition has moved towards its decisive matches, even though his minutes are still being managed.
The tournament is an important part of a wider year of development for the 20-year-old. Yang joined Tottenham from Gangwon FC in January 2025 and has since spent time on loan at Queens Park Rangers, Portsmouth and Coventry City. He was part of Coventry’s squad as they won the Championship last season, and he is now spending 2026/27 with Belgian club KVC Westerlo.
These loan moves are a continuation of his and a number of other players that have either come through the clubs academy of purchased at a younger age. The Asian Games present another test: a knockout tournament with little room for error and the chance to represent his country deep into the competition. For Spurs, the question remains: with all their player out on loan, how has this experience helped Yang now and when he returns to club football in Belgium?
Yang’s loan at Westerlo remains the longer measure of his progress this season. For now, an Asian Games semi-final gives the Spurs prospect another significant match and gives Tottenham another reason to follow a player working towards his opportunity in north London.
There is a familiar Tottenham connection to South Korea’s pursuit of gold. Heung-Min Son helped his country win the men’s football tournament at the 2018 Asian Games. While Yang’s tournament continues on Wednesday, he will hope it ends as well as it did for Heung-Min Son. If Yang Min-Hyeok's Tottenham career is anything like his South Korean counterpart's, his future will be very bright.
Yang Min-Hyeok emerged at Gangwon FC in South Korea before joining Tottenham in January 2025. The winger has since gained experience on loan at Queens Park Rangers, Portsmouth, Coventry City and Belgian side Westerlo. He earned a Championship winners’ medal with Coventry and has represented South Korea at senior level.
