“I’m excited” - Newcastle announce signing of South Korean star Seung-Soo Park

Newcastle United kick off the next stage of their pre-season campaign on Sunday, with the first game of their tour of Asia.

Starting in Singapore against Arsenal, the lads will then travel to South Korea for two huge games against the K-League XI and Spurs.

To coincide with the upcoming games in South Korea, the club has now confirmed the signing of top young prospect Seung-soo Park from K League 2 side Suwon Bluewings.

And the 18-year-old is arriving on Tyneside with serious hype and immense potential!

Seung-soo Park's first words as Newcastle United signing

It's been a signing weeks in the making, but Newcastle have finally won a Europe-wide battle for Park's signature, beating out the likes of Bayern Munich and Marseille to sign the winger.

And now the club has released an official interview with the teenager on how grateful he is to be on Tyneside.

"It's a huge honour to join Newcastle United. It's a big step for me and I feel incredibly thankful for the faith the club have shown in me."

"I'm excited to develop here, learn from the coaches, and give everything to become the best player I can be."

Park becomes our third official signing of this summer's window. Fellow youngster Antonio Cordero joined on a free from Malaga, and of course Anthony Elanga made the move from Nottingham Forest at the beginning of July.

Having already been capped five times for the South Korea U-20s, Park attracted international attention when he became the youngest goalscorer in the history of South Korean professional football!

What's the plan for Seung-soo Park next season?

Typically, an 18-year-old international like Seung-soo Park would follow the path of previous signings and immediately go out on loan in order to earn minutes until he's ready to join our youth set-up properly.

In the case of Cordero, he's been linked with a loan move to Ajax. Park is a different story altogether, however. The teenager is expected to be kept on Tyneside and developed here and be part of our U-21 side in the PL2. 

Addressing Park's potential, Academy Director Steve Harper commented:

"Park is an exciting young talent with real potential.He's already shown maturity beyond his years in a competitive environment and we're delighted to welcome him to the club."

"We've seen our talent pathway produce some outstanding success stories in recent seasons and Park now joins a group of young players with that same opportunity ahead of them."