Jurgen Klinsmann, who won the World Cup as a player and led Germany to the semi-finals as coach, has been appointed head coach of South Korea, the country's football body said on Monday.

"The contract term with Klinsmann is from March to 2026," the Korea Football Association said in a statement, adding that the German will arrive in Seoul next week and be in charge for a friendly against Colombia on March 24.

Klinsmann had a long and decorated career as a striker, playing for Inter Milan, Tottenham and Bayern Munich.

He scored 47 goals in 108 appearances for Germany.

In 2004, Klinsmann succeeded former strike partner Rudi Voeller as coach of the German national team, his first position in management.

He led Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup on home soil, before taking over at Bayern and then the United States.

He was most recently at Hertha Berlin, where he quit after 10 weeks.

The 58-year-old succeeds Paulo Bento, who took the South Koreans to the last 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, where they were beaten 4-1 by Brazil. (AFP)