Ryang Yong-gi (; born 7 January 1982) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Born in Japan, he represented North Korea internationally.
Ryang served as the captain of his club where he played as a creative midfielder.
Ryang has made one appearance for the Korea DPR national football team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying rounds and was named as one of the North Korean squad for the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup. Ryang won the Golden Boot and Most Valuable Player awards at the competition that guided Korea DPR to win the title and qualify for 2011 AFC Asian Cup.
During the 2011 TÃ Âhoku earthquake and tsunami, Ryang was out driving when it hit. "I thought my tires had gone flat or I had driven over the curb, but the shaking continued and I saw the windows of shops shaking too," he recalled. "I knew it was a bad one and rushed home to see my wife." Ryang and his heavily pregnant wife spent the night sleeping in their car, fearful of further damage to buildings in an urban landscape that suffered severe wreckage.
In the aftermath of the disaster, Ryang and his teammates made frequent visits to affected areas to lend support.
Vegalta Sendai
North Korea
Individual