Korean high schooler Lee Hyun-gi, 17, signs with J1 League side Mito

A South Korean teenager is heading straight from school football to Japan's top flight. Lee Hyun-gi, a defender born in 2008, has signed with Mito Hollyhock of the J1 League (Japan's first division) and will join the club in January next year.

Lee is 177 cm tall and weighs 69 kg. He is left-footed and plays left-back for Boin High School in Korea.

In May, he scored the clinching goal in a 3-0 win over Gyeongshin High School in the final of the Geumseok Cup, a national high school tournament. Boin won the title.

Through the club, Lee said he is excited to start a new challenge on a new stage. He promised to use his solid defending and heavy work rate to become a player the team cannot do without.

Mito's club legend Koji Honma, now the club's general manager, spent 26 years at Mito as a goalkeeper. He said he has built the club's history with many Korean players, including Park Joo-ho, and believes Lee will grow and move on to a bigger stage.

Lee will wear number 26. It was previously worn by defender Hayate Matsuda, who made his pro debut at Mito and then moved to Hannover in Germany's second division. Honma said the number carries the hope that Lee will also reach the world stage from Mito.