K League
 | |
| Founded | 1983 |
|---|---|
| Country | South Korea |
| Confederation | AFC |
| Divisions | K League 1 (First Division) K League 2 (Second Division) |
| Number of teams | 22 |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League |
| Current champions | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (K League 1) Asan Mugunghwa (K League 2) |
| Most championships | Seongnam FC (7) |
| Website | Official website |
K League (Hangul: K리그) (Korea Professional Football League) is South Korea's professional association football league including the first division K League 1 and the second division K League 2.[1][2]
Contents
1 History
2 Structure
3 Clubs
3.1 K League 1 clubs
3.2 K League 2 clubs
3.3 All-time K League clubs
4 Champions
5 Records and statistics
5.1 Appearances
5.2 Clean sheets
5.3 Goals
5.4 Assists
6 Foreign players
7 Franchise system
7.1 Franchise relocations
8 K League Awards
9 Sponsorship
10 References
11 External links
History
The K League Classic was founded in 1983 as the Korean Super League, with five member clubs. The initial five clubs were Hallelujah FC, Yukong Elephants, POSCO Dolphins, Daewoo Royals, and Kookmin Bank FC. Hallelujah FC won the inaugural title, finishing one point ahead of Daewoo Royals to lift the crown.
In 1998, Korea's football league was reformed and renamed the K League (K League was official orthography by 2012). Since its creation, the league has expanded from an initial 5 to 16 clubs. Of the five inaugural clubs, only Yukong Elephants, POSCO Dolphins, and Daewoo Royals remains in the K League; Kookmin Bank FC dropped out of the league at the end of 1984, and Hallelujah FC followed the season after.
In 2013, K League introduced the division system. The first division's name was K League Classic, the second division's name was K League Challenge and the comprehensive brand name was K League. The fact that both the first and second divisions had very similar names has caused some degree of confusion and controversy.[3] Beginning with the 2018 season, the first division was renamed to K League 1 and the second division to K League 2.
Structure
Below the K League 1 is the K League 2, and below the K League 2 is the National League, a closed semi-professional league established in 2003. The fourth level of football in South Korea is the K3 League.
There was no official system of promotion and relegation. However, beginning in 2013, the champions of K League 2 are eligible for promotion to the K League 1, provided that they meet certain criteria.
Clubs
K League 1 clubs
K League 2 clubs
All-time K League clubs
As of 2019, there have been a total of 31 member clubs in the history of the K League – those clubs are listed below with their current names (where applicable):
- K League's principle of official statistics is that final club succeeds to predecessor club's history and records.
- Clubs in italic no longer exist.
| # | Club (duration) | Owner(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | POSCO FC (1973–1983) POSCO Dolphins (1983–1984) POSCO Atoms (1985–1994) Pohang Atoms (1995–1996) Pohang Steelers (1997–present) | POSCO | Founded as a semi-professional club on April 1973. Transferred into a professional club on February 1984. |
| 2 | Hallelujah FC (1983–1985) | Shindongah Group | Inauguration date – 20 December 1980 |
| 3 | Yukong Elephants (1983–1995) Puchon Yukong (1996–September 1997) Puchon SK (October 1997–2000) Bucheon SK (2001–2005) Jeju United (2006–present) | SK Energy of the SK Group | Inauguration date – 17 December 1982 |
| 4 | Saehan Motors FC (1979–1980) Daewoo FC (1980–1983) Daewoo Royals (1983–1995) Pusan Daewoo Royals (1996–1999) Pusan i.cons (2000–July 2002) Pusan I'Cons (July 2002–2004) Busan I'Park (2005–2011) Busan IPark (2012–present) | Daewoo Group (1983–1999) HDC Sports of the HDC Group (2000–present) | Founded as a semi-professional club on 22 November 1979. Re-founded as a professional club. Inauguration date – 3 December 1983 |
| 5 | Kookmin Bank FC (1983–1984) | Kookmin Bank | Played as a semi-professional club. |
| 6 | Hyundai Horang-i (1984–1995) Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (1996–1998) Ulsan Hyundai Horangi (1999–2007) Ulsan Hyundai (2008–present) | Hyundai Motor Company of the Hyundai Group (1984–1997) Hyundai Heavy Industries of the Hyundai Heavy Industries Group (1998–present) | Inauguration date – 6 December 1983 |
| 7 | Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso (1984–1990) LG Cheetahs (1991–1995) Anyang LG Cheetahs (1996–2003) FC Seoul (2004–present) | LG Group (1984–2004) GS Sports of the GS Group (June 2004–present) 0 0 | Inauguration date – 22 December 1983 0 0 0 |
| 8 | Hanil Bank FC (1984–1986) | Hanil Bank | Played as a semi-professional club. |
| 9 | Ilhwa Chunma (1989–1995) Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma (1996–1999) Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (2000–2013) Seongnam FC (2014–present) | Ilhwa of the Tongil Group (1989–2013) Government of Seongnam and Citizen Stockholder (2014–present) | Inauguration date – 18 March 1989 |
| 10 | Chonbuk Buffalo (1994) | Bobae Soju | Inauguration date – 1993 Dissolution date – 1994 |
| 11 | Chonbuk Dinos (1995–1996) Chonbuk Hyundai Dinos (1997–1999) Chonbuk Hyundai Motors (2000–2005) Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2006–present) | Consortium of Hyunyang and Hyundai Motor Company of the Hyundai Group (1995–May 1999) Hyundai Motor Company of the Hyundai Motor Group (May 1999–present) | Inauguration date – 12 December 1994 |
| 12 | Chunnam Dragons (1995–2013) Jeonnam Dragons (2014–present) | POSCO | Inauguration date – 16 December 1994 |
| 13 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings (1996–present) | Samsung Electronics of the Samsung Group (1996–2014) Cheil Worldwide of the Samsung Group (2014–present) | Inauguration date – 15 December 1995 |
| 14 | Taejon Citizen (1997–2002) Daejeon Citizen (2003–present) | Consortium of the Dong Ah Group, KyeRyong Construction Company Dongyang Department Store, Chungchong Bank (1997–2005) Government of Daejeon and Citizen Stockholder (2006–present) | Inauguration date – 12 March 1997 |
| 15 | Daegu FC (2003–present) | Government of Daegu and Citizen Stockholder | Inauguration date – 19 March 2003 |
| 16 | Incheon United (2004–present) | Government of Incheon and Citizen Stockholder | Inauguration date – 1 March 2004 |
| 17 | Gyeongnam FC (2006–present) | Government of Gyeongsangnam-do and Citizen Stockholder | Inauguration date – 17 January 2006 |
| 18 | Gangwon FC (2009–present) | Government of Gangwon-do and Citizen Stockholder | Inauguration date – 18 December 2008 |
| 19 | Gwangju FC (2011–present) | Government of Gwangju and Citizen Stockholder | Inauguration date – 16 December 2010 |
| 20~22 | Sangmu FC (1985) Gwangju Sangmu (2003–2010) Sangju Sangmu Phoenix (2011–2012) Sangju Sangmu (2013–present) 0 0 0 | Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps (1985) Government of Gwangju and Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps (2003–2010) Government of Sangju and Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps (2011–present) 0 0 0 0 | Founded as a Military FC (semi-professional) on 11 January 1984. Joined the K League in 1985. Inauguration date – 4 January 2013 (Gwangju Sangmu) Inauguration date – 26 February 2011 (Sangju Sangmu) ※ Sangmu, Gwangju Sangmu and Sangju Sangmu are separate legal entities according to the K League. |
| 23~24 | Police FC (2013) Ansan Police FC (2014–2015) Ansan Mugunghwa (2016) Asan Mugunghwa (2017–present) 0 0 | Mugunghwa Athletic Club of the Korean National Police University (2013) Government of Ansan and Mugunghwa Athletic Club of the Korean National Police University (2014–2016) Government of Asan and Mugunghwa Athletic Club of the Korean National Police University (2017–present) 0 | Founded as a Police FC (semi-professional) on 29 March 1996. Transferred into a professional club and joined the K League Challenge in 2013. Inauguration date – 16 March 2014 (Ansan Mugunghwa) Inauguration date – 16 January 2017 (Asan Mugunghwa) 0※ Ansan Mugunghwa and Asan Mugunghwa are separate legal entities according to the K League. |
| 25 | Goyang Hi FC (2013–2015) Goyang Zaicro FC (2016) | Founded as a semi-professional club in 1999. Transferred into a professional club and joined the K League Challenge in 2013. Transferred into an amateur club and left the K League Challenge after the 2016 season. | |
| 26 | Chungju Hummel (2013–2016) | Hummel Korea | Founded as a semi-professional club on 9 December 1999. Transferred into a professional club and joined the K League Challenge in 2013. |
| 27 | Suwon FC (2013–present) | Government of Suwon and Citizen Stockholder | Founded as a semi-professional club on 15 March 2003. Transferred into a professional club in 2013 and joined the K League Challenge. |
| 28 | Bucheon FC 1995 (2013–present) | Government of Bucheon and Citizen Stockholder | Founded as an amateur club on 1 December 2007. Transferred into a professional club and joined the K League Challenge in 2013. |
| 29 | FC Anyang (2013–present) | Government of Anyang and Citizen Stockholder | Inauguration date – 2 February 2013; joined the K League Challenge in 2013. |
| 30 | Seoul E-Land FC (2015–present) | E-Land Group | Inauguration date – 22 August 2014; joined the K League Challenge in 2015. |
| 31 | Ansan Greeners FC (2017–present) | Government of Ansan and Citizen Stockholder | Inauguration date – 21 February 2017; joined the K League Challenge in 2017. |
Champions
- For details on K League Champions, see List of South Korean football champions.
Seongnam FC are the most successful club in terms of championship victories, having lifted the title on seven occasions.
Records and statistics
For details, see K League records and statistics.
- Records include K League 1 (top division), K League 2 (second division), and League Cup.
Bold denotes players still playing in the K League.
|
| Rank | Player | Appearances | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kim Byung-ji | 706 | |
| 2 | Choi Eun-sung | 532 | |
| 3 | Lee Dong-gook | 504 | |
| 4 | Kim Gi-dong | 501 | |
| 5 | Kim Young-kwang | 461 | |
| 6 | Kim Yong-dae | 460 | |
| 7 | Kim Sang-sik | 458 | |
| 8 | Oh Seung-bum | 446 | [a] |
| 9 | Kim Eun-jung | 444 | [a] |
| 10 | Woo Sung-yong | 439 |
Clean sheets
- Last updated: 19 December 2018
| Rank | Player | Clean sheets | Matches | Clean sheets per match | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kim Byung-ji | 229 | 706 | 0.32 | |
| 2 | Choi Eun-sung | 152 | 532 | 0.29 | |
| 3 | Kim Young-kwang | 143 | 461 | 0.31 | [a] |
| 4 | Lee Woon-jae | 140 | 410 | 0.34 | |
| 5 | Kim Yong-dae | 133 | 460 | 0.29 | |
| 6 |  Valeri Sarychev | 114 | 320 | 0.36 | |
| Shin Hwa-yong | 114 | 337 | 0.34 | ||
| 8 | Jung Sung-ryong | 108 | 296 | 0.36 | |
| 9 | Kwoun Sun-tae | 90 | 301 | 0.30 | |
| 10 | Kim Ho-jun | 85 | 277 | 0.31 | [a] |
|
| Rank | Player | Goals | Matches | Goals per match | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Dong-gook | 215 | 504 | 0.43 | |
| 2 |  Dejan Damjanović | 186 | 336 | 0.55 | |
| 3 | Kim Shin-wook | 123 | 333 | 0.37 | |
| Kim Eun-jung | 123 | 444 | 0.28 | [a] | |
| 5 | Woo Sung-yong | 116 | 439 | 0.26 | |
| 6 | Jung Jo-gook | 115 | 349 | 0.33 | |
| 7 | Kim Do-hoon | 114 | 257 | 0.44 | |
| 8 | Kim Hyun-seok | 110 | 371 | 0.30 | |
| 9 |  Saša Drakulić | 104 | 271 | 0.38 | |
| 10 | Yoon Sang-chul | 101 | 300 | 0.34 |
Assists
- Last updated: 19 December 2018
| Rank | Player | Assists | Matches | Assists per match | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yeom Ki-hun | 103 | 345 | 0.30 | [a] |
| 2 | Lee Dong-gook | 75 | 504 | 0.15 | |
| 3 |  Mauricio Molina | 69 | 209 | 0.33 | |
| 4 | Shin Tae-yong | 68 | 401 | 0.17 | |
| 5 | Hwang Jin-sung | 67 | 338 | 0.20 | |
| 6 |  Eninho | 66 | 231 | 0.29 | |
| 7 |  Denis Laktionov | 59 | 272 | 0.22 | |
| 8 | Kim Eun-jung | 56 | 444 | 0.13 | [a] |
| 9 | Hyun Young-min | 55 | 437 | 0.13 | |
| 10 | Kim Hyun-seok | 54 | 371 | 0.15 |
^ abcdefg Including K League Challenge appearances (second division)
Foreign players
| Season | Squad | Play in match | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–1993 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1994 | 3 | 2 | If three players chosen to South Korea in one club, three foreign players can play. |
| 1995 | 3 | 3 | |
| 1996–2000 | 5 | 3 | From 1997 season, foreign goalkeepers were restricted in play the match. * 1997 season : Two-third of all matches * 1998 season : one-third of all matches * From 1999 season : foreign goalkeepers were restricted in K League |
| 2001–2002 | 7 | 3 | Temporary operation due to support the World Cup. |
| 2003–2004 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2005 | 4 | 3 | |
| 2006–2008 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2009– | 3+1 | 3+1 | '+1' is Asian quota. |
At the inception of the K League in 1983, only two Brazilian players made rosters. At the time, rules allowed each club to have three foreign players and that the three could also play simultaneously in a game. From the 1996 season, each team had five foreign players among whom three could play in a game at the same time. Moreover,
from the 2000 season to the 2002 season, the limit on foreign players was expanded seven but only three could play in a game at the same time. The limit was lower to five in 2003, four in 2005, and three in 2007. From the 2009 season, the number of foreign players went back up to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries.
In the 1985 season, Piyapong Pue-on of Thailand led foreign players in the league in scoring and assists. Other leading players were Rade Bogdanović, who provided 10 goals and 10 assists in the 1996 season. Valeri Sarychev, the K League's most famous foreign goalkeeper, played in 320 league games from 1992 to 2004. He was eventually naturalized as a Korean citizen and given the Korean name Shin Eui-Son which means God's hand because of his stellar play.
In the 1990s, the trend was for the K League to get foreign players from Eastern Europe such as Rade Bogdanović, Radivoje Manic, Saša Drakulić and Denis Laktionov. From 2000, Brazilians became the K League's priority such as Tavares, Mota, Nádson, Adilson and Edu. Since 2009, players from AFC have been fairly popular, especially those from Australia, China, Japan and Uzbekistan.
Franchise system
- Non-franchised Period (1983–1986): K League Clubs had franchise but clubs played the all game of round at one stadium.
- Franchised period (1987–present): K League introduced home and away matches system in 1987.
- Clubs which are not listed in the table don't have franchise relocations.
Franchise relocations
| Club | Original City / area (joined year) | Non-franchised period 1983–1986 | Franchised period 1987–present |
|---|---|---|---|
Pohang Steelers | Daegu+Gyeongbuk (1983) | N/A | Pohang (1990 / 1988[1]–present) |
Jeju United | Seoul+Incheon+Gyeonggi (1983) | Seoul (1984) | Incheon+Gyeonggi (1987) ▶ Seoul (1991) ▶ Bucheon / Mok-dong, Seoul (1996)[2] ▶ Bucheon (2001) ▶ Jeju (2006–present) |
Busan IPark | Busan+Gyeongnam (1983) | N/A | Busan (1990 / 1989[1]–present) |
Ulsan Hyundai | Incheon+Gyeonggi (1984) | Incheon+Gyeonggi+Gangwon(1986) | Gangwon (1987) ▶ Ulsan (1990–present) |
FC Seoul | Chungcheong (1984) | N/A | Chungcheong (1987) ▶ Seoul (1990) ▶ Anyang (1996) ▶ Seoul (2004–present) |
Seongnam FC | Seoul (1989) | N/A | Cheonan (1996) ▶ Seongnam (2000–present) |
Sangju Sangmu[3] | Gwangju (2003) | N/A | Gwangju (2003) ▶ Sangju (2011–present) |
Asan Mugunghwa[4] | N/A (all matches were away matches) (2013) | N/A | Ansan (2014) ▶ Asan (2017–present) |
[1] K League officially began city franchise policy in 1990, But Pohang Steelers began in 1988 and Busan IPark began in 1989.
[2] Actually Bucheon SK held all home matches at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul until 2000. Because Bucheon Stadium was under construction.
[3] Gwangju Sangmu and Sangju Sangmu are sepate leagal entities by K League. Officially, not relocated and founded as a new club.
[4] Ansan Police and Asan Police are sepate leagal entities by K League. Officially, not relocated and founded as a new club.
K League Awards
- K League MVP Award
- K League Top Scorer Award
- K League Top Assistor Award
- K League Rookie of the Year Award
- K League Manager of the Year Award
- K League Best XI
- K League FANtastic Player
Sponsorship
| Season | Sponsor | League name |
|---|---|---|
1983–1993 | None | |
1994–1995 | Hite | 94 Hite Cup Korean League 95 Hite Cup Korean League |
1996–1997 | Rapido | 96 Rapido Cup Professional Football Championship 97 Rapido Cup Professional Football Championship |
1998 | Hyundai Group | 98 Hyundai Cup K-League |
1999 | Hyundai Securities | 99 Buy Korea Cup K-League |
2000 | Samsung Electronics | 2000 Samsung DigiTall K-League |
2001 | POSCO | 2001 POSCO K-League |
2002 | Samsung Electronics | 2002 Samsung PAVV K-League |
2003–2008 | Samsung Hauzen K-League 2003–2008 | |
2009 | None | |
2010 | Hyundai Motor Company | Sonata K League 2010 |
2011–2016 | Hyundai Oilbank | Hyundai Oilbank K League 2011–2012 Hyundai Oilbank K League Classic 2013–2016 Hyundai Oilbank K League Challenge 2013–2016 |
2017–2018 | KEB Hana Bank | KEB Hana Bank K League Classic 2017 KEB Hana Bank K League Challenge 2017 KEB Hana Bank K League 1 2018 KEB Hana Bank K League 2 2018 |
2019–present | Hana 1Q K League 1 2019 Hana 1Q K League 2 2019 |
References
^ "In search of Korea's disappearing Red Devils-INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily". Koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2014-02-01..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "South Korean Teams Fight for Attention at Home". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
^ "위원석의 하프타임 'K리그'에 새로운 이름을 붙여주자" (in Korean). The Daily Sports Seoul. February 19, 2013. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013.
External links
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to K League. |
Official K League website (in English)
Official K League website (in Korean)
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