Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor extend deal to keep Hong

Korean pro football club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors said Monday it’s extended a loan deal with defender Hong Jeong-ho.

The reigning K League 1 champions said Hong will stay with the club for one more season after agreeing to a loan extension. The 29-year-old center-back joined Jeonbuk in January 2018 on loan from the Chinese team Jiangsu Suning.

In the 2018 season, Hong played 25 matches for Jeonbuk and helped the team defend the first division title. Jeonbuk was the best defensive team last year, conceding only 31 goals in 38 K League 1 matches.

“In order to win the treble this season, we thought Hong is essential to our squad,” Jeonbuk said, referring to capturing the league, the domestic cup and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League in one season. “After being active in negotiations, we were able to reach an agreement with Jiangsu.”

Hong, who has 42 caps with the South Korean national team, made his pro debut with the K League 1 outfit Jeju United in 2010. He moved to German Bundesliga club FC Augsburg in 2013 before joining Jiangsu in 2016.

Jeonbuk is moving aggressively this offseason under new head coach José Morais. After signing a slew of local stars, such as Moon Seon-min and Choi Young-jun, the six-time K League 1 champions Sunday acquired an Australian forward, Bernie Ibini-Isei, from the Emirates Club.

Yonhap