Retired North Korean striker Jong Tae-se joins Montedio Yamagata as a coach

Former North Korean national team striker Jong Tae-se has joined J2 League team Montedio Yamagata as an instructor, the club announced Wednesday, though his exact role is unclear.

Jong Tae-se poses in a photo shared on Montedio Yamagata's official X account on Wednesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Former North Korean national team striker Jong Tae-se has joined J2 League team Montedio Yamagata as an instructor, the club announced Wednesday, though his exact role is unclear.

“Starting today, Jong will be providing irregular instruction from a specialist perspective,” the club said in a statement published in Japanese in its official post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday and translated into English using Google Translate.

Yamagata did not make clear what exact role he will take at the club.

Yamagata is a second-tier team in the Japanese football system that sits in 14th place on the 20-team table as of press time Wednesday. The club has played in the second division since facing relegation from the J1 League in 2015.

Jong, 40, played in the J.League and had a unique career due to his citizenship status.

Born in Japan to a South Korean father and a mother who had Joseon citizenship — a legal status assigned by the Japanese government to ethnic Koreans in Japan who don’t have Japanese nationality and who have not registered as South Korean nationals — Jong became a South Korean national.

He attended a private elementary school in Japan run by Chongryon — a group closely tied to the North Korean government that acts as the country’s de facto embassy in Japan — where he learned football.

He also went to Korea University — a private university in Tokyo funded by Chongryon — and was later able to get a North Korean passport issued by Chongryon.

That made him eligible to play for the North Korean national team, and he went on to represent North Korea at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The former striker made 33 caps for North Korea during which he scored 15 goals.

Jong Tae-se cries during a 2010 FIFA World Cup match between North Korea and Brazil at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 16, 2010. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

As Jong also had a South Korean passport, he was able to play both in Japan and South Korea.

He started his club career at J.League team Kawasaki Frontale in 2006 and played for the club until he joined German team VfL Bochum in 2010.

After spending a little over one season in the 2. Bundesliga, he transferred to FC Koln in the Bundesliga in 2012.

But failing to establish himself as a regular pick prompted him to join then-K League 1 side Suwon Samsung Bluewings in 2013 before he moved to J.League team Shimizu S-Pulse in 2015.

He was on the books with Shimizu S-Pulse from 2015 to 2020, which included a loan to then-J2 League team Albirex Niigata in 2020.

He then moved to then-J2 League side Machida Zelvia in 2021 and retired there the following year.

After retirement, he did not immediately pursue a coaching career, although he served as a manager last year for celebrity team FC Wonder Woman — a team from the Korean TV show “Kick a Goal” where female celebrities form football teams and compete against each other under futsal rules.

He also had a cameo in the second season of Netflix's 'Physical: 100,' a reality show released earlier this year.

Yamagata will next face last-place Gunma in the J2 League on Sunday.

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