Retired national football player Lee Chun-soo has agreed to help with the election campaign of former Land Minister Won Hee-ryong of the ruling People Power Party as chair of his sponsorship association, Won's office said. Lee, one of the stars in South Korea's 2002 World Cup semi-final squad, joined Won in greeting commuters Thursday morning at Gyesan Subway Station in Incheon, west of Seoul, and calling for support for Won in the April 10 parliamentary elections. Lee, a native of Incheon, spent his last years as a professional player with Incheon United FC. The two reportedly first met in 2016, on the occasion of Lee's visit to a girls' high school on the southern island of Jeju, whose football team was on the verge of closing due to a suspension of government support. Won was governor of Jeju at the time. In the previous general elections, Lee endorsed a candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP). The retired athlete is said to have personal ties with former DP leader Song Young-gil who als o served as the mayor of Incheon. Won is running in Incheon's Gyeyang-B district and is expected to compete against DP leader Lee Jae-myung. Source: Yonhap News Agency