SEOUL-- President Yoon Suk-yeol awarded an order of merit to Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-min on Thursday in recognition of his achievement in sports.

Yoon awarded the Cheongnyong Medal to Son at Seoul World Cup Stadium before he took part in a friendly match against Brazil.

The Cheongnyong ranks the highest among five medals that are awarded to an individual for their achievement in sports or their contribution to promoting national sports.

Son made history last month by becoming the first Asian player to win the scoring title in the Premier League.

"I believe this award is the result of your passion after having devoted yourself and worked endlessly for your team all season," Yoon wrote in a message to Son at the time. "(The title) is not only a personal honor for you but a joyous occasion to be celebrated by the entire Asian football community."

Later in the day, Yoon held a dinner meeting with the Dutch-born coach Guus Hiddink, who guided South Korea through an improbable march to the semifinals of the FIFA World Cup two decades ago, and members of the South Korean men's national football team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

During the meeting, Lee Young-pyo, one of the members of the 2002 men's national football team, proposed to Yoon that South Korea should host the 2023 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup.

In return, Yoon instructed Park Bo-gyoon, minister of culture and sports who was also in attendance at the meeting, to actively push for hosting the 2023 Asian Cup, Yoon's office said.

China pulled out of hosting the 2023 Asian Cup due to its COVID-19 situation.

Source: Yonhap News Agency