Korean player held in China in bribery probe - source

[May 15, 2023]  By Eduardo Baptista
 
BEIJING (Reuters) -South Korean soccer player Son Jun-ho is being held in police custody in northeast China in connection with a bribery case, a Korean diplomatic source said on Monday. 

Son was detained on Friday, his 31st birthday. Reuters was unable to reach him for comment.

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Round of 16 - Brazil v South Korea - Stadium 974, Doha, Qatar - December 5, 2022 Brazil's Raphinha in action with South Korea's Son Jun-ho REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

Son plays for the South Korean national team and Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan, based in the northeastern province of Shandong.

Son was currently in the custody of the Liaoning Public Security Department in connection to a bribery case, according to an official at South Korea's consulate-general in Shenyang.

The official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case, said the consulate had requested a meeting with Son as soon as possible and was in contact with his family.

The official gave no further details.

Shandong Taishan have not commented publicly on the case but the club posted a message on its official Weibo account on the day he was detained wishing him a happy birthday.

News of his detention was first published by Yonhap News.

When asked about Son on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said he was not aware of the case.

Neither Shandong Taishan nor the Liaoning Public Security Department immediately responded to requests for comment.

(Additional reporting by Andrew Hayley, editing by Ed Osmond and Nick Macfie)

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