Hyeok-kyu Kwon, born on 13 March 2001, is a native of Korea Republic and is known for his adept skills as a central defensive midfielder, currently playing for Karlsruher. Towering at 6ft 2in (1.9m) tall and weighing in at 12st 1lb (77kg), his imposing physicality on the field is distinct. He proudly sports the number 8 jersey and has represented his homeland's national team.
His current market value floats around £860k as highlighted by Transfermarkt. His career took seed in the K League 2 in Korea Republic, signing with Busan I'Park in January 2019. During his first maturing years with the club, Kwon managed to make 43 appearances, scoring 3 goals over four seasons.
In a brief interlude to splice his time at Busan I'Park, Kwon moved to Gimcheon Sangmu in the K League 1 on a loan transfer in March 2021. During his loan period, he made 33 first team appearances in league matches before returning to his parent club.
Off the back of the Eastern dream tour, Kwon's career took a westward relocation as he was transferred from Busan I'Park to Celtic in Scotland. The move paid off for Celtic, costing their treasury approximately £860k. His time with the Celts was marked by brief stints shared with St Mirren and Hibernian, both within Scotland's Premiership. Although never a constant fixture in the Celtic first team, Kwon made his mark when given the opportunity.
His time at Hibernian saw him blossom into a regular feature, clocking up 21 appearances for the Edinburgh club. However, Celtic chose to cash in on Kwon in 2025, transferring him to Nantes in the Ligue 1 in France for around £220k. He secured a regular playing role with Nantes, taking to the field for a dozen league matches during 2025-26 season.
In a surprise move, Nantes chose to part ways with Kwon in February 2026, sending him off to Karlsruher in the 2. Bundesliga in Germany for an undisclosed fee. His journey in Germany has only just commenced, and so far, Kwon has managed to step onto the pitch in five league matches. Will these moves pay dividends for Kwon's career? Only time will tell.
