Charting the key moments in Hee Chan Hwang's career which made him the player he is today.
Senior debut
27th February 2015 | SC Austria Lustenau 2-4 FC Liefering
As a high school football star in South Korea, Hwang had the opportunity to sign professional terms for his junior club Pohang Steelers in December 2014, he instead opted to test himself in Europe, subsequently signing for Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg. Hwang would spend the next 12 months developing with Salzburg’s junior side FC Liefering, who he started playing for in early 2015, stepping out for the first time in a 4-2 away win over SC Austria Lustenau. The young Korean was already showing his attacking talent with an assist just 37 minutes into his debut to help his side lead 2-1 at the break.
First senior goal
17th April 2015 | FC Liefering 4-1 TSV Hartberg
Hwang was progressing well in the Austrian 2 Liga, often playing as one of two central strikers, and after helping Liefering to five wins in his first seven outings, Hwang made it six from eight by notching his first goal for Liefering in a 4-1 home demolition of TSV Hartberg. There were just three minutes on the clock when Felipe Pires lifted a cross into the Hartberg box and Hwang guided the ball into the back of the net. That was one of two goals he scored during his initial four-month stint, before returning to Liefering for the 2015/16 season, where he notched 11 in 18 second division games.
First league title
7th May 2016 | Red Bull Salzburg 1-1 Sturm Graz
His goalscoring form for Liefering saw Salzburg bring Hwang back into the senior set-up midway through the 2015/16 Bundesliga campaign, with the Korean making two starts – against SV Mattersburg and Rapid Vienna – before suffering an injury. However, he returned to the squad a month later and despite not finding the net in the remaining 12 matches, he provided a spark which would see Salzburg remain the rest of the campaign unbeaten. With three games of the season remaining, Hwang came off the bench in a 1-1 draw at home to Sturm Graz which secured the first league title of his career.
First international title
1st September 2018 | South Korea 2-1 Japan
Representing his country has always been the biggest honour of Hwang’s career, and since making his debut for the senior South Korea side in 2016, the forward has gone on to find the back of the net 16 times in 75 appearances. But one of his first international titles with Korea came during the 2018 Asian Games, where he would play a huge role in leading his country all the way to the final of the men’s football competition. Hwang would become the hero for his nation, scoring the winning goal in the final to secure a 2-1 victory over Japan.
First World Cup goal
2nd December 2022 | Portugal 1-2 South Korea
Just 18 months after signing for Wolves, Hwang was shining in the Premier League as well as on the international stage. However, the forward suffered an injury just before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and was facing a race against time to be fit for the tournament. Despite missing his country’s opening games against Uruguay and Ghana, Hwang came off the bench with 25 minutes remaining in the final group game against a Portugal side featuring several of his club teammates to score a last-gasp winner to send South Korea into the knockout stages – and pick up the KFA Goal of the Year in the process.
This article originally featured in Wolves' official 2025/26 matchday programme. Last season's programmes are still available to purchase online through retailers Curtis Sports.
