FC Midtjylland signs center-back Lee Han-beom

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FC Midtjylland signs center-back Lee Han-beom

Published: 29 Aug. 2023, 09:38 Updated: 29 Aug. 2023, 17:59

JIM BULLEY
jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr

Korean center-back Lee Han-beom poses in an FC Midtjylland shirt after signing with the club on Monday. [FC MIDTJYLLAND]

FC Midtjylland announced the signing of center-back Lee Han-beom on Monday, adding the Korean defender to the roster just a month after forward Cho Gue-sung joined the club.

“Lee is a young player who, especially in the past year, has had his breakthrough in the Korean league,” Sporting Director Svend Graversen said in a statement. “He is physically strong, athletic and skilled in his duels, where he uses both his strength and ability to read the game.

Lee Han-beom flies to Denmark to join FC Midtjylland

“Lee is a humble young man who has big dreams and knows that there is a great deal of work ahead of him. Now he must be brought into the squad, and then we must build on him so that he can continue his rapid development and transfer it from Korea to European football.”

Lee, 21, flew to Denmark over the weekend to complete his medical tests before the deal, valued at 2 billion won ($1.5 million) according to Korean reports, was announced.

Cho Gue-sung sees immediate success in Denmark

Lee is an ambipedal defender and a key part of the FC Seoul lineup, taking on the center-back role despite his relatively young age. He debuted with Seoul last year and has played a total of 51 games in the K League. He is one of the most highly-rated defenders in the league this year for passing efficiency.

Despite his domestic success, Lee is relatively untested on the international stage. He made eight appearances for Korea at the U-17 level, playing at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, and has been a regular call-up for the U-23 team over the last year, although he only has one cap at that level to his name.

He has been named to the Korean squad for the upcoming Asian Games.

“I am happy to come to Europe and join FC Midtjylland,” Lee said in a statement released by the club. “Now the most important thing for me is to make a difference on the pitch. I have seen several of the team's matches and the offensive, active style of play was part of the reason I wanted to come here.

“My dream is to join the Korean national team, and here at the club I aim to win trophies. These are my goals for the next year.”

Lee is the second Korean player to join FC Midtjylland this summer, joining former Jeonbuk Hyundai Motor striker Cho Gue-sung.

Cho, 25, came to prominence at last year’s World Cup when he scored two goals against Ghana in a group stage game and became the first ever Korean player to score a brace in a World Cup match.

“I don't know him personally,” Lee said, “but we have played against each other a few times. I know about his history in the K League and it will be cool to play on the same team as him, where I hope we can become close teammates.”

Cho has missed the last two games with an injury, but before that he was off to a very fast start in Denmark, with four games to his name in nine appearances across all competitions.

Midtjylland will be back in action on Thursday as they take on Legia Warszawa in the second leg of the Europa Conference League playoffs. Whether Cho or Lee will be in the squad for that game is unclear.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]