S . Korean striker eyes nat ' l team spot from 2 nd division club By Joo Kyung - don SEOUL , Feb . 27 ( Yonhap ) -- South Korean striker Lee Jeong - hyeop said Monday he is determined to secure a national team spot , although he will be playing for a second - tier club this season . Lee is with Busan IPark in the K League Challenge , the second division of the South Korean pro football league . Last year , the 25 - year - old played for Ulsan Hyundai FC in the top flight K League Classic on loan from Busan but failed to impress as he scored only four goals in 30 matches . Now returning to his original club , Lee said he will open the season with a new mindset . " Last season , I was sorry for both Busan and Ulsan fans , as well as fans for the national team , " Lee said at a media event for the new K League Challenge season . " I want to have a fresh start . " Despite his poor scoring record last year , Lee did play for the national team in the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in November . He started against Uzbekistan but was substituted in the second half without a goal . Lee said representing South Korea in the upcoming qualifiers is still on his mind , and he knows what he needs to do . With five matches remaining in the final round , South Korea are currently in second place in Group A with 10 points on three wins , one loss and one draw , just one point behind Iran . Uzbekistan , China , Syria and Qatar are other Group A nations . Only the top two teams from the group will earn automatic berths to the World Cup in Russia , while the third seed must go through a playoffs for a chance to compete at football ' s signature event . " You can ' t just wear the national team jersey , " he said . " I know I need to perform well with my club first . Then I may get an opportunity . " For Lee , earning a national team selection from a second division club is familiar . He was first selected to the national team in January 2015 , when he was with the second - tier side Sangju Sangmu . Sangju are a military club where pro footballers can complete their mandatory military service while playing football . Lee , however , said the situation is a little bit different today . With Busan , he said he needs to show more than in the past . " At Sangju , I just had to do my own job because there were many top class players from the Classic , " he said . " But with Busan , I have to go out and show something . " Lee is known for his ability to help teammates around him and his tireless movement on the pitch . However , critics have pointed out that he lacks goal scoring skills despite being a striker . Lee has so far netted 17 goals in 102 league matches . " I often hear from others that I lack a killer instinct , " he said . " I will try to be a little bit greedy this season to score goals . " Lee , however , emphasized he is a team player . For this season , Lee said he feels responsibility to help Busan earn a promotion to the Classic . In the K League , the winner of the Challenge moves up directly to the first division , while the second to fourth place teams need to go through a playoffs . " I ' m not thinking about winning the scoring title here , because there are other players on our team who can score other than me , " he said . " My priority is to earn a promotion . " In this file photo taken on Nov . 11 , 2016 , South Korean striker Lee Jeong - hyeop ( R ) celebrates with teammate Jung Woo - young after scoring a goal during a friendly match against Canada at Cheonan Stadium in Cheonan , South Chungcheong Province . ( Yonhap ) kdon @ yna . co . kr ( END )