NORWICH forward Hwang Ui-jo has been suspended from the South Korean national team after an allegation was made that he illegally filmed a sex tape with his ex-girlfriend without her consent.
Hwang, 31, who denies the allegation, will not be selected for his country pending a police inquiry into the matter.
A short statement from the Korea Football Association’s ethics committee confirmed Hwang’s suspension.
It read: “We have decided not to select Hwang Ui-jo for the national team until a clear conclusion is reached on the facts.”
Norwich, who signed Hwang on loan from Nottingham Forest at the beginning of the season, are aware of the allegations and will continue to monitor developments.
The Asian Cup gets underway on January 12 in Qatar, with South Korea’s first game coming against Bahrain three days later.
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And it will be a blow to South Korea that Hwang is unavailable until further notice.
Lee Youn-nam, head of the KSA’s ethics committe, said: “Considering the fact that the player is being investigated as a suspect, it is difficult for him to carry out normal national team activities.
“Football fans have high expectations for the national team, (so) we have deemed it inappropriate to select Hwang Ui-jo for the national team.”
South Korea manager Jurgen Klinsmann added: “I fully understand the current situation and will respect the decision of the Korea Football Association.”
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Hwang has scored 18 goals in 60 caps for South Korea.
He came off the bench in their two World Cup qualifiers earlier this month, scoring in the first against Singapore.
At club level, he has scored three goals and provided one assists in 14 games for Norwich.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
