Striker Jung Jo-gook will return home to his original South Korean club after a stint in the top French league, the local team here said Friday.

FC Seoul of the K-League announced Jung will rejoin the team after spending 18 months with two teams in France.

Jung left for France in December 2010 as a free agent, after helping FC Seoul win the K-League championship. He first played for AJ Auxerre and then joined AS Nancy on a six-month loan.

He returned to AJ Auxerre after the loan deal expired last month, but with the club relegated to the second division, Jung had been seeking a new home.

He had two years remaining on his contract with AJ Auxerre.

FC Seoul said Jung has already rejoined the team practice and is expected to play next Wednesday against the first-place Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

"If I were to come back to the K-League, it had to be with FC Seoul," Jung said through a team statement. "I want to help the team win the championship again this year."

FC Seoul is currently ranked second in the 16-team K-League with 12 wins, two losses and five draws. On offense, Jung will join Dejan Damjanovic, who is tied for the league lead with 12 goals.

Jung was named the K-League's rookie of the year in 2003, scoring 12 goals for the Anyang LG Cheetahs, which became FC Seoul in 2004. He netted a career-high 13 goals in FC Seoul's championship season in 2010. (Yonhap News)