Lee Dong-jun signs with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Lee Dong-jun will return to the K League next season with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors after spending a year in Germany with Hertha Berlin.

Lee Dong-jun poses in a picture released by Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors on Thursday. [JEONBUK HYUNDAI MOTORS]

Lee Dong-jun will return to the K League next season with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors after spending a year in Germany with Hertha Berlin.

Jeonbuk announced Thursday that they have signed a deal to bring Lee back to Korea from Berlin.

In January, Lee was one of the last Korean footballers to make a move to Europe during the January transfer window.

After debuting in 2017 with K League 2 club Busan IPark Football Club, Lee played with the Busan club until 2020. He was named K League 2 MVP in 2019 after an impressive season with 13 goals and seven assists in 37 matches.

He played for Ulsan Hyundai in 2021. Throughout his career with both teams, Lee has racked up a total of 135 matches in Korea, scoring 35 goals and marking 16 assists in the domestic league.

Lee, a versatile forward who can play on the wing or up front, left Ulsan Hyundai for Berlin on a three-year deal reportedly valued around 1 million euros ($1.1 million) this January. The move was reportedly possible because Lee had joined Ulsan on a contract that included a buy-out clause if a European club made an offer for him.

Hertha Berlin coach Felix Magath speaks to Lee Dong-jun during training on March 15 in Berlin, Germany. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

However, Lee only played in four matches in the Bundesliga last season and has made no appearances this season.

Lee made his debut for Hertha on Feb. 4 during the second half of a match against VfL Bochum and played for 31 minutes. He then played nine minutes against Greuther Furth on Feb. 12 and played 20 minutes against SC Freiburg on Feb. 26.

He started his first match on March 5 against Frankfurt, but was substituted out in the 56th minute.

After being benched for the next two matches and not being included in the squad in the next match, Lee was sidelined from April due to a knee injury.

Unable to make an impact at the German club, Lee returns to the domestic league and will play with 2022 runners-up Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors starting next season.

"I will do my best for Jeonbuk fans," Lee said said in a statement. "It is my personal goal and the club’s goal to win the trophy next season and I intend to achieve that goal."

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]