South Korea has left a pair of veterans off the men’s football team ahead of its World Cup qualification match against Iran next month.

Choi Kang-hee, the national men’s football team head coach, on Wednesday unveiled the overhauled 23-man roster for the Oct. 16 road match in the ongoing, final Asian qualification round for the 2012 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The lineup features six players that didn’t play in South Korea’s 2-2 draw against Uzbekistan on Sept. 11.

Striker Lee Dong-gook, 33, and defensive back Lee Jung-soo, 32, were among those conspicuous by their absence. Both players represented the country at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and have played in all four World Cup qualifying matches, one in the third round and three in the current final round, under Choi’s watch. Lee Jung-soo served as captain in two of those games. The two players have appeared in 148 international matches between them.

The head coach explained he was not pleased with the veterans’ performance against Uzbekistan.

“On our way back from Uzbekistan, I’d already made up my mind that I would leave the two players off for the next game,” Choi said at a press conference. “I had problems with their handling of responsibilities as senior members of the team. Veterans have to command respect from younger teammates with their performance on the field, and I didn’t select them this time for the sake of the team morale.”

Lee Jung-soo is famous for scoring two goals at the 2010 World Cup. Lee Dong-gook is third in the domestic K-League with 15 goals for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, and has netted four goals in those seven games for South Korea, but just one in the last five. His on-field chemistry with other offensive players, such as forward Park Chu-young, came into question after recent matches, and Choi said Wednesday he had been worried about Lee’s conditioning since summer.

Before Choi took over the national team in December last year, he coached Lee for three seasons in Jeonbuk, and helped rejuvenate the injury-prone striker.

The coach said he had not been “playing favorite” when he picked Lee for seven previous matches, and that he has not discarded him for good with his decision Wednesday.

“A national football team head coach has to stick to his guns sometimes, and can’t afford to let media or fans to influence football decisions,” Choi said. “The primary goal of the team now is to qualify for the World Cup. I’ve chosen players that I felt could best help us win the game, but if (players who were left off) can bounce back on their respective pro clubs, then I can always pick them again.”

Despite the draw against the underdog Uzbekistan, South Korea still leads Group A with seven points after three games. Iran, Qatar and Lebanon have four points each, with Iran leading the trio thanks to a superior goal difference. Uzbekistan is last with two points.

Iran missed a chance to pull even with South Korea in points when it suffered a 1-0 defeat to Lebanon. Choi said the Iranians will be “mentally ready” to play and the South Koreans must be equally tough mentally.

“If the nation calls you to wear the flag on your chest and represent the country on the football pitch, you have to have a sense of pride and responsibility,” Choi said. “I am not the type of coach who tries to force that on players. I can only guide them in that direction but it didn’t work out against Uzbekistan. The ability to play is a given, and I will have to double check on players’ mental toughness.”

The coach said he does not believe Lee’s absence will hurt the South Korean offense. One of the new faces on board is winger Son Heung-min. The dynamic 20-year-old scored twice for his Hamburger SV club in a top-division German league game last weekend, and has rejoined the national squad after being left off the previous two contests.

“Son has such great potential, whether it’s his shooting, his penetration or his agility,” Choi said. “I think he’s had problems playing off his teammates, but I think we can capitalize on his strengths.”

On defense, Kim Young-gwon, Park Won-jae and Shin Kwang-hoon are new players who will try to fill any gap. Asked whether his major overhaul would affect chemistry, Choi said all national team members are “competent and smart” and will more than compensate for their lack of training as a team. 

In the final round, 10 countries have been divided into two groups of five, and the top two countries from the groups will qualify for the World Cup. In Group B, Japan is the leader with 10 points after four games, followed by Jordan with four. Australia, Iraq and Oman each have two points.

South Korea is seeking its eighth consecutive World Cup appearance and ninth overall. It was a surprise semifinalist at the 2002 tournament that it co-hosted with Japan, and made it to the second round at the 2010 event held in South Africa. (Yonhap News)