Former FIFA vice president Chung Mong-joon, one of the most influential figures in Asian soccer, said on Thursday he is entering the race to replace Sepp Blatter as president of the sport's world governing body.

Chung, the 63-year-old billionaire scion of South Korea's Hyundai industrial conglomerate, told Reuters in an interview he would make a formal announcement next month in Europe, which he called "the centre of world football."

"I am going to stand as a candidate for the FIFA presidency," he said, acknowledging he had a tough fight ahead of him. "It's not easy, but people don't want to be part of corruption. They want to be part of the solution.