(Bloomberg) -- 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.

The ministry declined to provide further details, including when Son was released, citing privacy reasons. It was not immediately known if Son was cleared of the allegations raised against him and he has not yet made any statements to the media.

Read more: China Arrests South Korean Footballer for Alleged Bribery

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been communicating with the Chinese authorities via various channels, seeking cooperation for a prompt and fair procedure,” the ministry said in the statement, adding it provided necessary assistance including some 20 rounds of consular visits.

 

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