South Korean players' association gets official approval

(Reuters) - The South Korean government approved the country's professional soccer players' association FIFPro Korea on Friday with the body set to begin operations to "develop football".

FIFPro Korea, granted authorisation by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will work with the Korea Football Association and the K-League to protect players' rights.

"Through this process, we plan to contribute to the development of South Korean football," FIFPro Korea said in comments published by Yonhap news agency.

FIFPro Korea was in the process of becoming a candidate member of world players' union FIFPro, the association's general secretary Kim Hoon-ki said.

"In December, we'll be officially recognised as a FIFPro member and will introduce better programs," he added.

The body said its tasks would include: finding employment for retired players, protecting image rights and preventing the mistreatment of club players.

The South Korean association, which was introduced in June, includes former Daejeon Citizen player Kim Han-sup and former Suwon Bluewings and national team player Kwak Hee-ju on its board.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)