Choi Yong-soo has become the latest addition to the growing number of South Korean coaches making a switch to the Chinese Super League after reaching an agreement to a two-and-a-half year deal to transfer from FC Seoul to Jiangsu Suning, the Suning Appliance Group-owned football club said on their website on Tuesday.

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The 42-year-old Choi, who guided Seoul to a runner-up finish in the AFC Champions League in 2013, will be taking over the Chinese side from July 1. He is taking the place of the Romanian Head Coach Dan Petrescu, who was discharged from his post earlier this month.

The native of Busan became the Seoul football club's full-time head coach in 2012, after being appointed as the team's caretaker coach in 2011. He steered the popular team to the K League Classic title in 2012. Choi also led the FC Seoul to a Korean FA Cup championship last year and a runner-up finish in 2014.

Choi, who was the 2013 Asian Coach of the Year, guided FC Seoul to the top spot in Group F of this year's ACL before getting the better of the Urawa Reds 7-6 on penalties to set up a quarterfinal clash with group stage opponents Shandong Luneng.

They routed Urawa 4-1 in China before being held to a goalless draw at home in the return fixture.

FC Seoul will play host to Shandong Luneng in the first leg of their 2016 AFC Champions League quarterfinals showdown on August 24. The games will move to China on September 14 for the decisive encounter at the Jinan Olympic Centre.

The new coach of Jiangsu Suning joins compatriots Lee Jang-soo (Changchun Yatai), Chang Woe-ryong (Chongqing Lifan), Park Tae-ha (Yanbian Funde) and Hong Myung-bo (Hangzhou Greentown) in China's top flight.

Jiangsu Suning currently sits in the third spot of the 16-team league, with eight wins, five draws and 1 loss. The team is four points behind the league leader Guangzhou Evergrande.

TagsJiangsu Suning FC, FC Seoul, choi yong-soo, Chinese Super League, Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC