South Korean football is taking a bold leap onto the global stage, thanks to a landmark partnership announced between Jeju SK FC and Red & Gold Football—a joint venture between European powerhouse FC Bayern Munich and Major League Soccer’s Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC). On September 15, 2025, the two organizations unveiled their collaboration during a ceremony at a Seoul hotel, signaling a new era for youth development in Korean football.
The signing event brought together Jeju SK FC CEO Ku Chang-yong, youth adviser and former national team captain Koo Ja-cheol, and Red & Gold Football’s managing director Jochen Sauer. The agreement is much more than a handshake across continents; it’s a comprehensive plan to nurture young talent and provide ambitious South Korean players with a pathway to the world’s top football leagues.
Under the terms of the partnership, Jeju SK FC will share its youth development philosophy with Red & Gold Football, while Red & Gold will reciprocate by supplying coaching expertise, training methodologies, and a proprietary scouting system. The collaboration opens doors for Jeju’s young players to train not just in Korea, but also in Europe and the United States. The aim? To give promising South Korean footballers a real shot at breaking into the elite tiers of European football and Major League Soccer in North America.
“South Korea is an important market for us,” declared Jochen Sauer, managing director of Red & Gold Football, during the ceremony. “FC Bayern and LAFC have gained valuable experience with Korean players. Min-jae Kim and Heung-min Son are just the most well-known examples. Together with Jeju SK FC, we want to nurture a new generation of talent. We sincerely thank the club management for their trust.”
The timing of the partnership couldn’t be more fitting. FC Bayern Munich enjoys a robust fanbase in South Korea, bolstered by the presence of national team center back Kim Min-jae. Meanwhile, LAFC’s profile in the country has soared since the arrival of Son Heung-min—South Korea’s longtime national team captain—who joined the Los Angeles club in August 2025. Both athletes serve as living proof of Korean football’s growing global footprint, and now Jeju SK FC is looking to add more names to that illustrious list.
At the heart of the new initiative is Koo Ja-cheol, a former Bundesliga professional who played for FC Augsburg, Mainz 05, and Wolfsburg, and who now serves as Jeju SK FC’s youth adviser. Koo, who also captained the Korean national team, will spearhead Red & Gold Football’s efforts in South Korea. His experience in Germany and deep ties to Korean football make him the ideal bridge between the two worlds.
“We have so many talented players in Korea but a lot of foreign scouts have raised issues with the development of youth players,” Koo said during the ceremony. “With this partnership, I want to give those young players an opportunity to develop at the highest level. I think this will contribute to the development of both Korean football and Jeju SK FC.”
For Jeju SK FC, the partnership is a central pillar of their evolving sporting strategy. The club, a founding member of the K-League and a mainstay in South Korea’s top division, has recently placed a renewed emphasis on youth development. The appointment of Koo as youth adviser is a testament to this commitment. The club plays its home matches at the World Cup Stadium on Jeju Island and is owned by SK Group, the country’s second-largest conglomerate—a sign of its ambition and resources.
CEO Ku Chang-yong made it clear that the benefits of the partnership will be tangible and swift. “We will try to build systematic infrastructure for youth development, allow Korean coaches to receive instructions overseas, and have Red & Gold coaches come to Korea for exchange programs,” he said. “I will try to give young players for Jeju SK a chance to play overseas.” Ku added that some of Jeju’s young talents could get their first taste of European football as early as the end of this year.
The collaboration is built on a foundation of global experience. Red & Gold Football, established in March 2023, was designed to develop international talent for both FC Bayern and LAFC, while also supporting the athletic and personal growth of each player. The venture already boasts partnerships with Uruguay’s Racing de Montevideo and the Gambian football academy Gambinos Stars Africa, making Jeju SK FC its flagship partner in Asia.
Red & Gold Football’s approach is holistic, blending the expertise of regional partners with the internationally recognized training knowledge of FC Bayern and LAFC. This means that young players from Jeju will not only have the chance to train in Europe and the United States, but they’ll also participate in international tournaments and showcase their skills on some of the sport’s biggest stages. The proprietary scouting system that Red & Gold plans to introduce at Jeju SK FC could be a game-changer, bringing cutting-edge talent identification methods to Korean football.
“Our goal is to develop youth players in partnership with Red & Gold,” said Ku. “By promoting opportunities abroad, we also want to contribute to the development of Korean football.” The vision is clear: to create a pipeline that takes raw talent from Jeju Island and polishes it into professional-grade skill, ready for the demands of European and American leagues.
It’s a vision that resonates with the current landscape of Korean football. The country has produced an impressive array of international stars in recent years, but many in the football community have voiced concerns about the domestic development system’s ability to consistently nurture world-class talent. The partnership with Red & Gold Football is a direct response to those concerns, offering a structured, globally connected pathway for the next generation.
For Jeju SK FC, this is more than just a business deal—it’s a chance to redefine its identity as a club that not only competes at the highest level in Korea but also shapes the future of Asian football. And for Red & Gold Football, the partnership is a strategic move to tap into a market brimming with potential, leveraging the popularity of Korean players to build a truly international network.
With the ink barely dry on the agreement, the football community is already buzzing about the possibilities. Will Jeju SK FC become the launchpad for Korea’s next global superstar? Only time will tell, but one thing’s certain: the groundwork has been laid for a new era of opportunity, collaboration, and ambition.
As the partnership gets underway, all eyes will be on Jeju’s youth ranks and the young talents who now have a clearer path to the world’s footballing elite. The journey from Jeju Island to the stadiums of Europe and the United States just got a little bit shorter—and a whole lot more exciting.