← back to explore
Pak Sung-hyok
Milestone (age 20)
Selected for the North Korea 2010 FIFA World Cup squad at age 20, having debuted for the national team in 2009 at age 19.
Born in Pyongyang, North Korea, Pak Sung-hyok played for Sobaeksu Sports Club from 2009. He debuted for the North Korea national team in 2009 at age 19 and was selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad, appearing in the East Asian Championship qualifiers. He played as a defensive midfielder and centre back.
Think your path resembles Pak Sung-hyok's?Compare the visible ingredients, then see exactly where the comparison stops working.
Am I the next Pak Sung-hyok? →Starting point
Born in 1990 in Pyongyang, North Korea; he developed through the North Korean football system, playing for Sobaeksu in the DPR Korea League.
Current position (2025)
North Korean international footballer; plays for Sobaeksu in the DPR Korea League; current status not widely documented in international media.
How this path compounded
01 Starting advantages
3/24 starting-position score
Strongest documented signals: Elite institution pipeline, Direct domain exposure, Adversity / constraint catalyst.
Describes the starting position, not what the person later made of it.
Cohort percentile: 3
02 Built or converted leverage
8/25 multiplying-capacity score
Strongest observed levers:Started serious reps before 20, Complementary team, Domain proximity.
Measures what was present, not whether it was inherited, earned, self-built, external, or mixed.
Cohort percentile: 6
03 Compounding trajectory
5 documented steps
The timeline below shows the sequence of work and transitions around the selected early milestone. It is evidence of a path, not proof that every step was necessary.
Milestone at age 20
04 Observed career standing
T4 · Specialist-known
Notable, but primarily known within a niche. The tier summarizes documented career recognition through the data cutoff—not Pak Sung-hyok's worth or future potential.
Question four · where did the leverage come from?
Pak Sung-hyok's leverage provenance
Each non-zero lever gets a best-supported origin, evidence signals, and confidence. Unresolved is the honest default when the biography cannot distinguish self-built, advantage-enabled, earned, external, or mixed.
Started serious reps before 201/1
Advantage-enabledmedium confidence
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
Elite institution pipeline (1/2)
Complementary team1/2
Advantage-enabledmedium confidence
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
Elite institution pipeline (1/2)
Domain proximity1/2
Advantage-enabledmedium confidence
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
Direct domain exposure (1/2)Elite institution pipeline (1/2)
Prior reps1/3
Advantage-enabledmedium confidence
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
Elite institution pipeline (1/2)
Scarce skill depth1/3
Advantage-enabledmedium confidence
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
Elite institution pipeline (1/2)
Elite ecosystem network1/3
Advantage-enabledmedium confidence
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
Elite institution pipeline (1/2)
Structural wave / timing1/3
Externalmedium confidence
A structural wave is external to the person, even when their position improved access to it.
No decisive linked signal
Concentration intensity1/3
Advantage-enabledmedium confidence
One or more documented starting advantages plausibly enabled this lever.
Adversity / constraint catalyst (1/2)
This is a bounded inference from the current annotations—not a claim about private effort, merit, or the percentage of Pak Sung-hyok's outcome attributable to any origin.
Luck is not a leftover score.Structural luck, Encounter luck, Event luck, Outcome variance can change every arrow in the path. This successful-only dataset cannot observe the near-identical paths that did not break through, so luck stays visible and unscored.
Within Athletes, Pak Sung-hyok's starting-advantage total is at the 3th percentile. Separately, their built or converted leverage total is at the 6th percentile. Other T4 profiles average 5.7 / 24 starting advantage and 10.3 / 25 leverage. Similar scores appear in other tiers, so these figures describe positioning—not a cause.
Trajectory
- 1990 · age 0
Birth in Pyongyang
Born May 30, 1990, in Pyongyang, North Korea; developed through the North Korean football system from a young age, joining the Sobaeksu youth setup.
- 2009 · age 19
National team debut
Debuted for the North Korean national team in 2009, appearing in East Asian Championship qualifying matches against Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Guam.
- 2010 · age 20
2010 FIFA World Cup squad
Selected for North Korea's 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa at age 20, the country's first World Cup appearance since 1966.
- 2011 · age 21
Post-World Cup career
Continued playing for Sobaeksu in the DPR Korea League following the 2010 World Cup, maintaining his place in the national team pool for subsequent qualifying campaigns.
- 2012 · age 22
AFC Challenge Cup participation
Was part of North Korea's squad during the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualifying rounds, continuing to represent his country in regional competitions.
Primary leverage engine
Early specialization
Early specialization / prior reps
Secondary engine
National team system
Built/converted leverage
8 / 25
evidence: Low
Built or converted leverage
Multiplying capacity documented later in the path. Measures what was present, not whether it was inherited, earned, self-built, external, or mixed.
Started serious reps before 20
1/1
Elite ecosystem network
1/3
Structural wave / timing
1/3
Concentration intensity
1/3
Starting-advantage scores (0–2 each)
Access or conditions documented near the beginning of the path. Zero means "no clear evidence in reviewed sources," not "advantage was absent."
Family financial platform
0/2
Parent / family domain
0/2
Inherited audience / network
0/2
Elite institution pipeline
1/2
Dedicated mentor / coach
0/2
Exceptional peer / cofounder
0/2
Direct domain exposure
1/2
Prodigy / innate ability
0/2
Adversity / constraint catalyst
1/2
Family context
Not documented in reviewed sources. No information available about family background, financial status, or parental occupation.
Parent / family domain
Not documented in reviewed sources.
Archetype & tags
Elite performance pipelineSobaeksu Sports ClubNorth Korea national team2010 World Cuplimited documentation
Evidence summary
Pak Sung-hyok's selection for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad at age 20 was facilitated by the North Korean national football team system and his club Sobaeksu SC. Very little is documented about his early life, family background, or training pathway. Growing up in North Korea presented significant resource constraints and limited opportunities, which may have created urgency and discipline. His rapid progression from club to national team by age 19 suggests early specialization in football within the state sports system.
advantage confidence: Low · source count: 3 · audit: not_independently_audited · status: subagent_researched_beta
Sources
Related — same primary engine