Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
KT renews sponsorship with PSG's Lee Kang-in
Seen is Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in. KT said Tuesday that it renewed its sponsorship contract with the football player, who also plays for the Korean men’s national football team. Courtesy of KT
By Baek Byung-yeul
KT renewed its sponsorship contact with Korean football player Lee Kang-in, who plays for the Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 of France and the Korean men’s national football team, to extend its relationship with the star midfielder that has been continued since 2019, the mobile carrier said Tuesday.
“Even when Lee Kang-in was going through difficult times with his club and national team selection, KT has stood by his side and continued to support him as a partner in his growth,” KT said. “Based on this sincerity, we have continued our sponsorship contract and have been with Lee for the longest time among Korean companies.”
The 22-year-old football player made his professional debut for Spain’s Valencia at the age of 17. KT signed its first sponsorship deal with Lee, who rose to stardom after winning the Golden Ball award at the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
During the sponsorship period, KT has worked with Lee in various capacities, such as a model in ads, product and branding promotions, customer promotions and sports content. Lee first appeared as a model in a 2019 ad for KT with the slogan “Your Superpower, KT 5G.”
KT said the ads Lee appeared in such as for the Galaxy S23 KT Premium Family Combination in 2023 and Y Branding recorded around 37 million cumulative views, proving his star power. The company added its sports marketing platform also greatly benefited from the so-called Lee Kang-in effect as the marketing activities have garnered over 48 million total views.
KT said it will run a new Galaxy device ad it filmed with Lee in France on its YouTube channel on Jan. 19 and also plans to conduct a lottery event for giving out footballs hand-signed by Lee.
"I am personally happy and grateful to continue with KT in the future,” Lee said. “I will continue to work hard to meet fans’ expectations.”
Lee is a key member of the Korean men's national football team. Currently participating in the 18th AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, the Korean team won their Group E match against Bahrain 3-1 on Jan. 15, thanks to Lee.