Kim Sang-sik (; born 17 December 1976) is a South Korean football manager and former player. During his playing career, he played for the South Korea national team as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder. He is currently manager of Vietnam and Vietnam U23, and is considered one of the greatest managers in Vietnamese football history.
In 1999, Kim joined Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, significantly contributing to Seongnam's consecutive K League championships in 2001 and 2002. He joined the military club Gwangju Sangmu in 2003 to perform his military service, and returned to Seongnam in 2005. He once again contributed to a K League title in 2006.
Because of the team's negative performance in 2008 and the transition from coach Kim Hak-bum to Shin Tae-yong, Kim transferred to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in January 2009 as a part of the team's restructuring. He was appointed the new captain of the team.
On 26 November 2013, Kim announced his retirement. In his final match against FC Seoul, Kim scored on a penalty kick, ending his playing career on a high note.
On 29 May 2000, Kim debuted for the South Korea national team in a friendly match against Yugoslavia.
Kim was selected for the national team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and played two Group G matches as a substitute.
In the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, he replaced injured defensive midfielder Kim Nam-il and helped South Korea reach the semi-finals. However, Kim was involved in a drinking scandal with captain Lee Woon-jae and some others during the tournament, resulting in a one-year suspension from the national team and a two-year ban from competitions organized by the Korea Football Association.
After nearly five years, in February 2012, Kim returned to the national team prior to a friendly against Uzbekistan and a World Cup qualifier against Kuwait. He retired from the national team after these matches.
After retiring at the end of 2013, he went to France to receive coaching training. He returned to Jeonbuk in 2014 and worked as an assistant coach under managers Choi Kang-hee and José Morais.
On 7 December 2020, he participated in the Pro License course of Asian Football Confederation Coach Education. Subsequently, on 22 December 2020, he was appointed manager of Jeonbuk, succeeding Morais. He became the first Jeonbuk player to manage the team.
In the 2021 season, his first season as a manager, he led Jeonbuk to the K League 1 title. He became the first person to win the league title with Jeonbuk as a player, coach and manager. He was also the third to achieve this feat, following Cho Kwang-rae and Choi Yong-soo. He was awarded the K League Manager of the Year Award after the season.
In 2022, however, Jeonbuk gradually focused on defense and counterattack due to Kim's monotonous tactics in contrast with previous managers, and he was criticized for losing Jeonbuk's style of play. Despite this criticism, he renewed his contract with the club after winning the Korean FA Cup.
Early in the 2023 season, Kim failed to improve the team's weaknesses, and Jeonbuk ranked tenth among twelve clubs after winning only three of ten matches. On 4 May 2023, he resigned, ending his 15-year term with Jeonbuk.
On 3 May 2024, Kim was appointed manager of Vietnam's senior and under-23 national teams, following Philippe Troussier's departure. He hired Choi Won-kwon as his assistant and started building his team. On 6 June, he made his debut as Vietnam's manager in a World Cup qualifier against the Philippines, ending Vietnam's eight-match losing streak with a 3âÂÂ2 victory.
Between December 2024 and January 2025, Kim led Vietnam in the 2024 ASEAN Championship. He sent his team to the semi-finals by earning three wins and one draw in the group stage including victories over compatriots Ha Hyeok-jun and Shin Tae-yong, who managed Laos and Indonesia respectively. He became Vietnam's third manager and the second Korean manager to win an ASEAN Championship title after defeating Thailand in both legs of the final.
On 10 April 2025, ASEAN Football Federation appointed Kim manager of the ASEAN All-Stars for a friendly against Manchester United named the Maybank Challenge Cup at Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Malaysia on 28 May. He defeated Rúben Amorim's Manchester United side 1âÂÂ0. On 29 July, he won the 2025 ASEAN U-23 Championship for Vietnam's third consecutive title in the competition. At the 2025 SEA Games, he won all four matches including a 3âÂÂ2 final win over Thailand on 18 December.
While participating at the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup in January 2026, Kim and Vietnam won all matches against Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates before lost 3âÂÂ0 to China in the semi-finals. In the third place play-off, his team defeated his homeland South Korea 7âÂÂ6 on penalties after a 2âÂÂ2 draw with them.
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
South Korea
Individual
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Vietnam
Vietnam U23
Individual