Former North Korea youth international Yang Hyon-ju proving to be timely addition for Albirex Niigata

The 27-year-old has two goals and three assists in seven games since joining the White Swans. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SINGAPORE – Like a fearless but graceful White Swan, Albirex Niigata’s Yang Hyon-ju glided in from the touchline, weaved between Lion City Sailors’ national players Akram Azman and Kyoga Nakamura and planted a right-footed shot past Ivan Susak for the opener in a 3-3 draw on Feb 28.

Since arriving at Albirex in January, the fleet-footed attacker with the golden hair has shone, registering two goals and three assists in just 335 minutes of action across seven matches.

Asked for the reason behind his seamless transition, the 27-year-old was quick to credit his teammates.

“Although I joined the team during the winter transfer window, my teammates have been very kind and supportive. I’m truly grateful they helped bring out the good in myself,” he told The Straits Times ahead of their March 6 Singapore Premier League (SPL) match against Tanjong Pagar United at the Jurong East Stadium.

“However, I’m not satisfied with my performance at all. I want to improve my quality and contribute more to the team. As a team, I believe we should aim even higher.”

Yang, whose birthplace was listed as Saitama, Japan, on the Albirex website, is understood to be holding a South Korean passport. Online football portal Transfermarkt indicates he has represented North Korea at the 2015 Under-17 World Cup and 2020 Asian Under-23 Championship, where he scored in a 2-1 defeat by Jordan.