<Anchor>
It has been confirmed that Son Jun-ho, a member of our national soccer team who plays in
China, has been detained in China for four days and is being investigated. It is believed that it was due to match-fixing by his team, which Son Joon-ho strongly denies, saying that he was not involved in the manipulation.

This is a report from our correspondent in Beijing, Kim Ji-sung.

<Reporter>

South Korean national football team midfielder Son Jun-ho has been detained by Chinese police for the past 12 days.

He was arrested at the Shanghai airport while trying to leave for South Korea with his family.

Chinese authorities say only that it is an allegation of bribery of an unofficial.

It has not been confirmed whether he is a reference or a suspect.

After moving to Shandong Taishan side of the Chinese Super League in 2021, Son led the team to a second-place finish in the Super League and the Chinese FA Cup last year.

Chinese football has been plagued by match-fixing and player selection irregularities in recent years.

Late last year, former Chinese national team coach Li Tie was arrested, and more than 2 Chinese football giants, including the head of the Super League association, were sacked.

[CCTV: The China Football Association has imposed a lifetime ban on any football-related activities managed by the China Football Association.]

This year, Son Jun-ho's team, Shandong, is on the list of key targets of investigation.

Son Joon-ho's teammate, Jae Joong-po, was also taken away.

Chinese media reported that Shandong Taishan players are likely under investigation for alleged irregularities, including match-fixing by their coach.

Son said that while the Chinese authorities may have suspected him when he tried to leave the country, he never participated in match-fixing, saying he even cut off his round-trip ticket to take his family to South Korea and return.

Son added that he is not good at Chinese and has difficulty communicating.

Our diplomatic authorities have said that they are providing necessary consular assistance, such as requesting a visit to Son Joon-ho.

(Video Interview: Choi Deok-hyun, Video Editing: Cho Moo-hwan, CG: Lee Jong-jung)