Hyeok-kyu Kwon, born on 13 March 2001 in Korea Republic, is a 24-year old central defensive midfielder currently playing for Nantes. A towering figure on the pitch, Kwon stands at 6ft 2in (1.9m) and weighs 12st 1lb (77kg). He is also a recognised member of the Korea Republic national team.
According to Transfermarkt, Kwon's current market value is pegged at around £600k. He began his professional career at Busan I'Park in the K League 2 in Korea Republic in January 2019, where he made a modest two first team appearances in league matches in his debut season.
Over the next three seasons at Busan I'Park, Kwon became a more familiar face on the pitch, making a total of 41 first team appearances and scoring three goals. However, in March 2021, he was loaned to Korean top-tier club Gimcheon Sangmu. During his loan period, Kwon was a regular figure, making 33 appearances in league matches.
Returning to Busan I'Park in September 2022 after his loan period, Kwon continued to feature regularly for his home club. But his career took a significant turn in July 2023, when he was transferred to Celtic in the Scottish Premiership for a fee of around £860k.
During his time at Celtic, Kwon didn't manage to secure a regular berth in the first team. He was loaned out twice, firstly to St Mirren in January 2024 where he made eight appearances, and later to Hibernian in August 2024 where he appeared 21 times. These loan periods offered Kwon valuable experience on Scotland's premier football stage and added another dimension to his game.
However, Kwon's stint at Celtic was cut short by a transfer to Nantes in the Ligue 1 in France in July 2025, for a fee of around £220k. Continuing to add to his experience in different footballing cultures, Kwon has made a promising start at Nantes with 12 first team appearances so far in the current 2025 - 2026 season.
