Son Heung-Min of Los Angeles FC in action during a match against Seattle Sounders FC, at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, Sunday. (AFP-Yonhap) Son Heung-min of Los Angeles FC will join South Korea's national team camp Tuesday in Salt Lake City as he prepares for his fourth World Cup appearance.Son, who played in LAFC's 1-0 home win over the Seattle Sounders FC a day earlier, is set to link up with coach Hong Myung-bo's squad at its pre-tournament training camp in Utah.Widely regarded as Asia's greatest striker and still South Korea's most dangerous attacking weapon, Son is aiming to lead the country at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.Son and goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu are both on the verge of making their fourth consecutive World Cup appearances. The South Korean record for most World Cup appearances is four, jointly held by Hong, Hwang Sun-hong and former goalkeeper coach Lee Woon-jae.Hong remains the only South Korean player to appear in matches at four different World Cups. If Son plays in North America, he will match that achievement.Son's scoring touch has declined somewhat since the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when he arrived after winning a share of the English Premier League Golden Boot. In Sunday's match against Seattle, Son fired seven shots but failed to score.The forward did not score in his first 13 matches of the season, though he recorded nine assists, including secondary assists recognized only by Major League Soccer.Still, Hong continues to trust the veteran star, who has repeatedly delivered in major tournaments and produced iconic moments on the World Cup stage.Son has scored three World Cup goals, tying Ahn Jung-hwan and Park Ji-sung for the most by a South Korean player. One more goal would give him sole possession of the record.He scored his first World Cup goal against Algeria at the 2014 tournament in Brazil and added two more at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Those included his trademark curling strike against Mexico and the late clinching goal against Germany that completed the "Miracle of Kazan."His most significant World Cup contribution, however, may have been the assist to Hwang Hee-chan's winner against Portugal in the final group-stage match at Qatar 2022. Son threaded a perfectly weighted pass through multiple defenders, helping South Korea reach the knockout stage of an overseas World Cup for only the second time.Given Son's playmaking form with LAFC this season, he could again create scoring opportunities for younger forwards such as Oh Hyeon-gyu of Beşiktaş JK and Cho Gue-sung of FC Midtjylland.Ahead of the Seattle match, Son said, "A lot of people like seeing me score goals, and I understand why those conversations happen." But he added, "Soccer is not an individual sport. More than my own ambitions, I'm thinking about how the national team can perform better together."With Son's arrival, South Korea's squad is nearing full strength.Nine players, including K League players and those from English Championship clubs whose seasons ended early, arrived at camp on May 18 for preliminary training. European-based players later joined the team, including Borussia Mönchengladbach midfielder Jens Castrop and Hwang In-beom of Feyenoord, who had been rehabilitating in South Korea.By Sunday, 24 of the squad's 26 players had joined camp. Defender Kim Min-jae of FC Bayern Munich is expected Tuesday, and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain FC will arrive June 1 after the UEFA Champions League final, completing the roster.(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)