SEOUL, South Korean international and Asian Games gold medalist Paik Seung-ho has joined Birmingham City FC in the second-tier English football league. The club in the English Football League (EFL) Championship announced Monday (local time) that Paik has agreed to a deal that will keep him at St. Andrew's until June 2026. England will be the third European stop for the 26-year-old midfielder. Paik is a product of FC Barcelona's youth academy, though he only made two appearances for their B team before moving over to another Spanish side, Girona. After splitting time between Girona and their reserve squad, Paik hopped over to Germany to play for Darmstadt 98 in the second-tier Bundesliga from 2019 to 2021. Paik then signed for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in South Korea's K League 1 in March 2021. Over his three seasons here, he won the K League 1 title in 2021 and the FA Cup title the following year. Paik earned his first cap in 2019 and has 15 caps so far. He scored South Korea's lone goal in their 4-1 loss to Brazil in the round of 16 at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Last fall, Paik was captain for the under-24 South Korean team as an overage player at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, and helped the country to their third consecutive gold medal. "I am really, really happy to be part of this club and this team. I am really excited. I can't wait to start," Paik said in an interview posted on Birmingham City's website. "Since I was young and I started to watch football, one of my dreams was to come to England to play football. When I heard Birmingham was interested in me, I was really happy." Paik, who will wear No. 13, said he decided to join Birmingham after meeting their bench boss Tony Mowbray. "I have been in many countries, and one of the most important things for me was the relationship with the manager," Paik said. "Speaking with him, I felt really comfortable, and he motivated me to come here. It was the biggest reason I came here." Paik is the third South Korean player to arrive at St. Andrew 's, joining two women's national team mainstays, Cho So-hyun and Choe Yu-ri, who are playing with Birmingham City Women FC. In the ongoing season, Birmingham City are in 20th place among 24 EFL Championship clubs with 32 points from eight wins, eight draws and 12 losses. Source: Yonhap News Agency