Bayern Munich to make first-ever trip to Korea for Coupang Play Series

Bayern Munich will visit Korea for the first time this summer for the Coupang Play Series, Coupang announced Wednesday.

The Coupang Play Series is a preseason exhibition game series organized by Korean e-commerce company Coupang. Launched in 2022, the series invited Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla in its inaugural year and brought Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid to the country last year.

As reigning Bundesliga champions, Bayern is home to Korean center-back Kim Min-jae and multiple European football stars like English forward Harry Kane and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Bayern have been the most successful team in Bundesliga history, winning the league title 32 times as the winningest team. The German champions have also clinched the league for the past 11 seasons in a row.

Coupang will announce additional teams to participate in this year’s Coupang Play Series later.

“We are very happy to visit Korea, where there is a deep passion for football,” said Bayern's Executive Vice Chairman Michael Diederich in a press release on Wednesday. “We are proud to have Kim Min-jae, who is world-class, playing for Bayern Munich. We expect that the Coupang Play Series will be a special journey for Kim as well as the entire team.

“I hope this visit acts as an opportunity for us to get to know Korea better through a new partnership and cultural exchanges.”

The exact dates for this year’s Coupang Play Series are yet to be announced.

Coupang Play is a streaming service available through Coupang’s WOW membership program. The membership is a subscription-based program that offers benefits such as free and expedited shipping on the e-commerce platform and exclusive promotions and content from Coupang Play.

Only WOW membership program subscribers are allowed to book tickets for the Coupang Play Series.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]