 From then on, he was part of Newcastle's march out of the relegation zone, jumping from bottom of the table to 15th by Christmas.His good form was halted as the South Korean had to join his national team to take part in the AFC Asian Cup in the UAE.After coming back to his club in the end of January 2019 with an achilles injury sustained in a match against the Phillipines, Ki announced he would retire from his international duties to fully focus on his club career .