Lee Ki-hyuk

After attending University of Ulsan for two years, Lee joined K League 1 club Suwon FC prior to the 2021 season. On 27 February 2021, he made his professional debut in the club's league opener against Daegu FC, where they drew 1–1. He played as a central or wide midfielder for two years at Suwon FC before transferring to the same league's Jeju United in 2023. On 24 May 2023, he scored his first professional goal in a 4–3 Korean FA Cup win over Daejeon Hana Citizen. On 20 January 2024, Lee moved to another K League 1 club Gangwon FC. He started to be deployed as a centre-back or left-back at Gangwon, and helped the team finish runners-up at the league. By director Kim Byung-ji, his tactical understanding was compared to Yoo Sang-chul, who had been able to be used in every midfield or defensive position at the South Korea national team.

In September 2021, Lee was called up to the South Korea under-23 team for a training camp ahead of the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualification. In July 2022, he was called up to the South Korea national team for the 2022 EAFF E-1 Football Championship. On 24 July, he made his international debut in a 3–0 EAFF Championship win over Hong Kong. Lee was suddenly selected for the national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He did not play for South Korea for about four years, but his performances at the K League 1 impressed manager Hong Myung-bo, who had to find a replacement for injured centre-back Kim Ju-sung just before the tournament. After another centre-back Kim Tae-hyeon was injured in training two days before the team's opener, he played three group stage matches as a starter.

Club

As of match played 30 August 2026

International

As of match played 24 June 2026

South Korea

EAFF Championship runner-up: 2022 Individual

K League All-Star: 2026