East Asia

Han Kwang-song becomes the first North Korean to play in Serie A

Cagliari have signed young North Korean striker Han Kwang-song to their primavera team on Friday.

The 18-year-old has been signed to the youth squad after a successful trial and also available for the Serie A outfit’s first-team matches.

Cagliari described Han as “an ambidextrous forward of great foundations; dribbling, eye for goal, and vision are his main characteristics.”

Last year, Choe Song-Hyok was set to become the first North Korean to play in Serie A but was released just four months after signing contract due to suspicions 70 percent of his salary was going directly back to the government in Pyongyang.

Han won the AFC U-16 Championship with North Korea in 2014 and his performance impressed international scouts at the U-17 World Cup a year later.