Son Jun-ho returns to pro football with Suwon FC after release from China

Son, 32, joined Suwon FC as a midfielder on Friday following a roughly two-month stint with K5 team Kunyoong FC. He has yet to make his official return as a pro player.

Son Jun-ho poses in a Suwon FC jersey on Friday. [YONHAP]

Son Jun-ho, the Korean midfielder who was detained for nearly a year in China, is back in the K League 1 — though he has yet to play a game.

Son, 32, joined Suwon FC on Friday following a roughly two-month stint with K5 team Kunyoong FC. But he was left out of the lineup for his side’s 3-1 loss to Gangwon FC on Saturday as he is not yet officially registered as a player, and Suwon manager Kim Eun-jung said he will need to monitor Son’s fitness before putting him into the squad.

Son 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.

Following his return, Son joined Kunyoong reportedly because he needed time to find his footing in an amateur league before returning to a pro league.

The K5 is an amateur league that sits a tier below the semi-professional K4.

Son looked set to join K League 1 team Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, with multiple Korean media outlets having reported that he was negotiating a deal with his former club while training at Jeonbuk’s training center.

But the deal failed, leaving Son to join a different team. It remains unclear why the deal fell through.

Suwon Sporting Director Choi Soon-ho, meanwhile, reportedly phoned Son on Thursday and asked him about joining his side. Choi has a connection with Son, as he coached the midfielder at the Pohang Steelers from 2016 to 2017 as a manager.

Son reportedly underwent a medical the next day and was announced as a Suwon player later the same day.

He cannot play a match until June 20, the first day clubs can register new players.

The earliest he can play is on June 22, when Suwon face FC Seoul at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul.

Son started his career at the Steelers in 2014 and transferred to Jeonbuk in 2018 before joining Chinese team Shandong Taishan 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.

Korea's Son Jun-ho, left, vies for the ball with Brazil's Lucas Paqueta during a 2022 World Cup round of 16 match at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar on Dec. 6, 2022. [YONHAP]

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 [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]