WK League News

Korea international striker Choe has completed a medical check and signed a contract with the club, according to a report published Thursday by the Gyeonggi Daily. Choe joins Suwon from Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels, where she played the latter half of the 2025 WK League season after returning to Korea in the summer following a spell with Birmingham City in England’s WSL. Suwon FC is expected to officially announce the signing this week.

Choe made her WK League debut in 2016 with Daejeon Sportstoto (now Sejong Sportstoto) after a one-year suspension from football for refusing to join military team Busan Sangmu (now Mungyeong Sangmu) after the 2015 WK League draft. After five years at Daejeon she joined the Red Angels, winning two titles with them before heading to Birmingham in 2023. She wasn’t the only international star to return to the WK League in the summer; former Birmingham teammate Cho Sohyun returned to her former club Suwon in 2025 after almost a decade overseas.

A veteran of Korea’s national team, Choe is set to join Suwon at a critical time as the club looks ahead to the knockout stage of the 2025-26 AFC Women’s Champions League, which is scheduled to begin in March. Suwon had mixed results against tough opponents in the group stage of the competition, but progressed to the quarter-finals as one of the better-performing third-placed teams. They will face either defending champions Wuhan Jiangda or 2024-25 runners-up Melbourne City away in their quarter-final.

Read more: Suwon FC secure qualification for AWCL knockout tournament

After the glory of winning the championship title in 2024, it has been a disappointing year for Suwon FC. The club finished seventh in the WK League, recording only five wins across the season. Suwon FC’s men’s team was recently relegated from top division K League 1 to second-tier K League 2 after a poor season of their own, with dwindling attendance at their home ground, Castle Park. Fans of the club have expressed concern as to what extent the men’s team’s relegation, and subsequent budget adjustments, will have a knock-on effect for the women’s team.

The club’s decision to pass on signing any rookie players at the 2026 WK League Draft only added to these worries. With several players leaving the club this winter, it appears that manager Park Gilyoung is opting to bolster his squad with experienced players rather than bringing youngsters into the fold — Choe is not the only big name in Korean women’s football to be linked with Suwon this winter transfer window.