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EXCLUSIVE: Formerly detained Son Jun-ho joins K5 after return from China

Published: 22 Apr. 2024, 14:40 Updated: 22 Apr. 2024, 17:58

Son Jun-ho speaks during a press conference before a training session in Doha, Qatar on Nov. 22, 2022. [AP/YONHAP]

Former Shandong Taishan midfielder Son Jun-ho, the Korean footballer who was detained in China for 319 days and released last month, has joined K5 team Kunyoong FC, a club official told the Korea JoongAng Daily on Monday.

The official move to the amateur club has not been previously reported.

The K5 is an amateur Korean football league that sits below the semi-professional K4. Son was able to join the K5 team even after the K League transfer window closed last month, as the amateur league does not fall under professional K League rules.

Son's transfer to the amateur league reportedly comes because he needs time to find his footing before returning to a professional league, but the Kunyoong FC official said Monday that he is not sure whether or when Son will return to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, the last K League 1 team he played for.

The 31-year-old footballer was detained on May 12 last year at an airport in Shanghai in what China called a bribery investigation.

Chinese authorities formally arrested him in June, exactly 37 days after detaining him. Under Chinese law, police can detain suspects for up to 37 days before a prosecutor approves an arrest.

The arrest came amid a crackdown on match-fixing in Chinese football but was interpreted as a possible political move aimed at putting pressure on the Korean government. The exact details surrounding Son’s arrest remain unclear. When, where and how his trial took place has not been publicly disclosed.

Son returned to Korea on March 25 after being held in China for 319 days.

He was reportedly cleared of bribery charges following a 10-day closed-door trial in China, according to multiple Korean media outlets.

Son started his career at K League 1 team Pohang Steelers in 2014 and transferred to fellow K League 1 team Jeonbuk in 2018 before joining Shandong in 2021.

He saw the most success during his time at Jeonbuk where he played as a regular pick and won the league in 2018, 2019 and 2020, when Jeonbuk lifted the Korean FA Cup — now called the Korea Cup.

He also has 20 caps under his belt, making his first cap in 2018, and went on to play in the 2022 World Cup. He last appeared for the national team in a friendly against Uruguay in March last year.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN AND MARY YANG [[email protected]]