Ji-soo Kim: Who is the South Korean defender on loan at Kaiserslautern?
Ji-soo Kim has joined Kaiserslautern on a season-long loan from Brentford. Find out more on the South Korean prospect below...
Stats correct as of 22 July 2025
Ji-soo Kim
Age: 20 (born 24 Decemebr 2004)
Club: Kaiserslautern (on loan from Brentford)
Position: Centre-back
Country: South Korea (23 youth caps)
Key stats
Kim joined Brentfords's B-team in July 2023, having featured in 19 K-League matches for Seongnam. A month later, he earned his first call-up to the senior South Korea squad, albeit without making it off the bench in friendlies against Wales and Saudi Arabia.
The 6'3" right-footer went on to help his country win the U23 Asian games, though, and was promoted to the Brentford pros ahead of 2024/25. He made his Premier League debut as a substitute in a goalless draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in December 2024 - one of five competitive appearances for his parent club to date.
Plays a bit like: Min‑jae Kim
This one's easy. Dubbed 'the next Min‑jae Kim', Kim has the potential to match his Bayern Munich counterpart and countryman for agility, athleticism and general reading of the game. He also has the ability to build play from the back with laser-guided long passes.
Did you know?
At 20 years and three days old on his Premier League debut, Kim became the youngest South Korean and first centre‑back from the Land of the Morning Calm in the division's history.
In 2025/6, he could make history as the first South Korean to play competitive football for Kaiserslautern. Jong-won Park spent a year at the Betzenberg in the early 1980s without making an appearance.
What they're saying
"I believe Jisoo Kim is a player who will play a big role for Korean soccer in the future." - Jürgen Klinsmann after selecting Kim for the 2023 Asian Games
"This is an excellent opportunity for Jisoo to go and play competitive football at a good level. He has made good progress since joining us and we were very pleased to see him get a Premier League debut last year." - Brentford director of football Phil Giles following Kim's move to Kaiserslautern
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