China Releases South Korean Footballer It Held for Nearly a Year

China has released a former member of the South Korean national men’s soccer team who had been held in detention for nearly a year on allegations of taking bribes.

Son Jun-ho, a midfielder who played for Shandong Taishan FC in the Chinese Super League, has arrived back in South Korea, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday in a statement. Son, who was on the national team for the soccer World Cup in 2022, was taken into custody in May 2023.