Jeong Woo-yeong joins Union Berlin on season-long loan

Korean midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong has joined Union Berlin on a season-long loan from VfB Stuttgart, both clubs announced Tuesday.

Stuttgart's Jeong Woo-yeong celebrates scoring a goal during a Bundesliga match against Bayern Munich in Stuttgart, Germany on May 4. [AP/YONHAP]

Korean midfielder Jeong Woo-yeong has joined Union Berlin on a season-long loan from VfB Stuttgart, both clubs announced Tuesday.

Jeong, 24, joined Stuttgart last season from SC Freiburg and made 29 appearances for the club, scoring two goals and three assists.

An established figure in the Bundesliga, Jeong joined Bayern Munich in January 2018 where he immediately slotted into the club’s U-19 team. He moved up to their reserve squad in the 3. Liga the following season, scoring 13 goals, before being called up to the senior squad on Nov. 27, 2018.

Jeong’s first appearance for Bayern was in a Champions League game, making him the youngest Korean ever to play in the UEFA competition, at 19, and he made one brief Bundesliga appearance later that season.

He moved to SC Freiburg in the 2019/20 season but didn’t appear for the club, returning to Bayern on loan in the second half of the season and dropping back into the reserve squad, where he picked up one goal and three assists to help the club win the division title.

Jeong returned to Freiburg in the 2020/21 season and went on to make 100 appearances for the club over the next three seasons, scoring 11 goals and picking up five assists.

Jeong — affectionately known as "little Jeong Woo-yeong" in deference to veteran midfielder Jung Woo-young (the two names are the same in Korean) — was first called up for Korea in March, 2021, racking up 20 caps and four goals over the last three years. He also appeared for the U-23 team at the Asian Games last year, winning the golden boot with eight goals and earning an exemption from Korea’s mandatory military service.

“I'm really looking forward to the challenge at 1. FC Union Berlin,” Jeong said in a statement published on the Union Berlin website. “This club has developed very well in recent years and plays a committed brand of football that suits me very well.

“Union is a great opportunity for me to continue my development in the Bundesliga. The passion of the fans and the atmosphere in the stadium have always impressed me. I am convinced that this is the right move for me, and I can't wait to make my contribution to the team's success.”

Union’s Director of Men’s Professional Football Horst Heldt said in statement that both Jeong’s technical ability and his attitude appeal to the club.

‘We are delighted to welcome Wooyeong Jeong to 1. FC Union Berlin His versatility and quality as a player were decisive factors in this signing. He not only brings technical ability, but also the right attitude and a great willingness to fit into any system.

“Jeong will add drive to our attacking play. His experience and his positive charisma will enrich our team.”

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]