Kwon Hyeok-kyu joins Hibernian on loan

The move marks the 23-year-old midfielder’s second loan out of reigning Premiership champions Celtic, having spent the second half of the 2023-24 campaign on loan at fellow Premiership side St Mirren.

Kwon Hyeok-kyu poses in a photo shared on Hibernian FC's official Instagram account on Tuesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kwon Hyeok-kyu has joined Scottish Premiership team Hibernian FC on a one-year loan from Celtic, Hibernian announced Tuesday.

The move marks the 23-year-old midfielder’s second loan out of reigning Premiership champions Celtic, having spent the second half of the 2023-24 campaign on loan at fellow Premiership side St Mirren.

“Kwon provides us with another option in midfield being able to play as both a deeper 6 and as an 8,” Hibernian manager David Gray said in a statement shared on the team’s website on Tuesday. “As a player, he’s a great athlete, he’s very competitive and comfortable on the ball. He showed these capabilities during an impressive loan spell last season.

“We’re delighted to bring him to the club and look forward to working with him.”

Kwon made his pro debut at K League team Busan IPark in 2019 and played as a regular pick until he joined military club Gimcheon Sangmu to complete his mandatory military service.

He played 36 fixtures with the military club in the 2021 and 2022 seasons before returning to Busan, where he played until joining Celtic in the summer of 2023 on a five-year deal.

He had a tough spell at Celtic, failing to debut and making it as far as the bench, prompting him to join St Mirren on loan.

Although he saw some playing time with St Mirren, he failed to rack up a single goal or assist during nine games.

Kwon’s move leaves only one Korean player at Celtic: Yang Hyun-jun. The squad had three Korean players last season — Kwon, Yang and Oh Hyeon-gyu — but Oh also transferred to Belgian team Genk last month after seeing decreased time on the pitch in the second half of the 2023-24 season.

The 2024-25 Premiership kicked off on July 13. Hibernian will be back in action in a Scottish League Cup match against Celtic in Glasgow, Scotland on Sunday.

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