Kwon Hyeok-kyu was born on 13 March 2001 in Busan, South Korea. He developed at Busan IPark and became known as a tall defensive midfielder with the reach and passing base to project beyond the K League.
Celtic signed him in 2023, but his development required loans rather than immediate first-team football in Glasgow. He spent time with St Mirren and Hibernian in Scotland, gaining experience in a physical league where midfielders must compete for second balls and defend transitions quickly.
By May 2026 Kwon is playing for Karlsruher SC in Germany, having moved into a setting that suits his need for regular senior midfield minutes. The German second-tier environment asks for tactical discipline and physical responsibility, both important to his long-term national-team case.
Kwon has represented South Korea at youth levels and moved into the senior conversation during the 2026 cycle. For Korea he offers a rarer profile: a tall holding midfielder who can screen, carry over short distances and pass forward without needing to dominate the ball.
Standing around 1.90 m, Kwon is a right-footed defensive midfielder whose best traits are reach, tackling range and calm short distribution. His profile is compared with Ki Sung-yueng for height and passing posture, though Kwon is more defensive and less of a long-range regista.