Embattled Hwang Ui-jo sent back to Forest as Norwich end loan early

Norwich City's Hwang Ui-Jo in action with Fulham's Marek Rodak during a Carabao Cup game at Craven Cottage in London on Sept. 27, 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Norwich City on Tuesday terminated the loan deal for Hwang Ui-jo, sending the Korean striker back to parent club Nottingham Forest seven months early.

In a statement announcing that Hwang would return to Forest, Norwich said that he had been originally recruited to cover for the then-injured Josh Sargent.

Hwang made 18 appearances for Norwich in the first half part of the season, scoring three goals and registering one assist. The original loan deal would have kept Hwang with the Canaries until the end of the season.

While Norwich implied that Hwang’s departure was due to the return of Sargent, the decision could have been influenced by the striker’s problems off the pitch.

Hwang was suspended from the Korean national team in November last year until the end of an ongoing investigation into allegations that he illegally filmed sex videos without his partners' consent.

The investigation stems from an Instagram post in June last year shared by an unidentified individual who claimed to be an ex-lover of Hwang. The person posted a video in which a naked man was with a woman and claimed the man was Hwang.

She also accused Hwang of filming sexual encounters without consent and having sexual relationships with multiple women at the same time. Hwang denied the allegations later that month and sued for defamation and blackmail.

The police arrested the individual on Nov. 16 on charges of blackmail. It was later revealed that the arrested person was Hwang’s sister-in-law.

The case took a turn in late November, when police analyzed the leaked footage and summoned Hwang for questioning on suspicion of filming the videos without consent. Hwang appeared before the police on Nov. 18, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Hwang was suspended from the Korean national team on Nov. 28, leaving him out of the Korean squad for the upcoming Asian Cup, where he would likely have been Korea’s starting striker.

With the Norwich loan cut short, Hwang will now return to Forest where he is not likely to see much playing time unless a new loan or transfer deal is reached while the January transfer window remains open.

Hwang’s departure from Norwich marks the latest twist in what has also been a tumultuous few footballing years for the 31-year-old, who went from top scorer at a Ligue 1 club to persona non grata in the Greek Super League in the space of a year, then pivoted to the K League before getting called back to warm Forest’s bench last summer.

After a successful career in Korea and Japan, Hwang, a traditional out-in-front forward, moved to Europe with French club Bordeaux in 2019, becoming the club’s top scorer in both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns. He was considered a top prospect in the French league at the time, with the official Ligue 1 website repeatedly highlighting him as a player to watch in the transfer market.

But cash-strapped Bordeaux held on until it was too late, refusing to consider a deal until the summer of 2022, when the club crashed into financial administration and faced the threat of double relegation.

Forest, who were in the middle of one of the biggest shopping sprees in European football history at the time, snapped Hwang up and immediately loaned him out to Greek club Olympiacos.

Hwang, in the middle of a difficult slump, struggled to adapt to the Super League club and ended up relegated to the bench and, ultimately, out of the squad completely. That loan ended in January last year when Forest instead shipped him off to FC Seoul.

Back in the K League, Hwang began to find his feet again, scoring four goals and four assists in 18 appearances and again finding the back of the net for the national team — where he has 56 caps — as well.

Hwang was called back to Nottingham last summer, but apart from a few preseason appearances he has spent the time on the bench. The move to Norwich provided far more playing chances, although that has now also been cut short.

With the ongoing investigation in Korea, a move back to the K League like last year is likely now not on the cards for Hwang. Forest may struggle to offload him with the legal issues still pending, although another loan to a lower-level European league could still be an option.

BY JIM BULLEY AND PAIK JI-HWAN [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]