K-League
| K-League |
|---|
 K-League 2008 |
| Founded |
| 1983 |
| Nation |
 South Korea |
| Lower Division |
| National League (No relegation) |
| Number of Teams |
| 14 |
| Asian Qualification |
| AFC Champions League A3 Champions Cup |
| League system |
| Regular season where teams play each other home and away for a total of 26 matches. Upon completion of the regular season, the top six enter the championship playoff until the eventual championship final involving the prevailing side taking on the first placed team in a home and away series. |
| Cups |
| FA Cup |
| Hauzen Cup |
| Current Champions (2007) |
| Pohang Steelers |
| Website |
| Official |
| K-League | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The Korea Professional Football League (K-League) is South Korea's top-flight professional club football league, with 14 member clubs.
Contents |
Establishment
The K-League was founded in 1983 as the Korean Super League, with five member clubs. The initial five clubs were Hallelujah, Daewoo, POSCO, Yukong Elephants and Kookmin Bank. Hallelujah won the inaugural title, finishing one point ahead of Daewoo to lift the crown.
In 1994, Korea's football league was reformed and renamed the K-League. Since its creation, the league has expanded from an initial five to fourteen teams. Of the five inaugural clubs, only Daewoo, POSCO and Yukong Elephants remain in the K-League; Kookmin Bank FC dropped out of the league at the end of 1984, and Hallelujah followed the season after.
Structure
At present the K-League is the only professional league in Korea, the K-League, and it contains fourteen member clubs.
Below the level of the K-League there is the National League, a closed semi-professional/amateur league with fourteen members, established in 2003. The third level of football in Korea is the K3 League.
There is, at present, no official system of promotion and relegation between any of the three leagues, however since 2006 the champions of the National League have been eligible for promotion to the K-League provided they meet certain criteria. Goyang Kookmin Bank and Ulsan Mipo Dockyard, National League champions in 2006 and 2007 respectively, both rejected the opportunity to move up to the K-League.
The league season
The K-League season typically begins around March/April and runs to late November each year. The number of games, clubs and the systems used have varied through the years, but for 2008 the league will operate with a full stage regular season followed by a top six championship playoff system.
The fourteen member clubs play each other twice in the regular season giving a total of 26 matches. The top six sides at the end of the regular season will enter the championship playoffs. In the first two matches, the third-placed team will face the sixth-placed team and the fourth-placed team will face the fifth-placed team, with the two winners then playing off for the right to face the second-placed team. The winner of that match will then progress to the two-legged championship playoff final where the first-placed side lie in wait, with the overall winner of the home and away series being crowned champions for 2007.
The K-League champions gain entry to the AFC Champions League the following season.
K-League member clubs in 2008
- Busan I'Park
- Chunnam Dragons
- Daegu FC
- Daejeon Citizen
- FC Seoul
- Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix
- Gyeongnam FC
- Incheon United
- Jeju United FC
- Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
- Pohang Steelers
- Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma
- Suwon Samsung Bluewings
- Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i
A number of the member clubs are owned by major Korean Chaebols, and the club names reflect that fact. Teams have adopted local city names in an effort to integrate themselves more with the local communities; for example, Daewoo evolved over the years into Daewoo Royals, Busan Daewoo Royals, Busan I'cons and latterly Busan I'Park.
Although a number of K-League teams have relocated in the past, the Lucky Goldstar (LG) corporation caused a huge controversy at the end of 2003 when they made the decision to uproot their Anyang LG Cheetahs team from the Seoul satellite city of Anyang and move into the empty Seoul World Cup stadium, becoming FC Seoul. Then following the 2005 season SK announced it was moving the Bucheon SK team to the island of Jeju, where they became Jeju United FC.
K-League history
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma are the most successful team in terms of championship victories, having lifted the title on no less than seven occasions. The roll-call of champions is as follows (present-date names included where teams have changed names previously):
K-League champions
- Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma: 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006
- Busan I'Park: 1984, 1987, 1991, 1997
- Pohang Steelers: 1986, 1988, 1992, 2007
- Suwon Samsung Bluewings: 1998, 1999, 2004
- Anyang LG Cheetahs: 1985, 1990, 2000
- Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i: 1996, 2005
- Hallelujah: 1983
- Yukong Kokkiri: 1989
Winners (year by year)
| Year | Winner | Runner-up |
| 1983 | Hallelujah | Daewoo |
| 1984 | Daewoo Royals | Yukong Kokkiri |
| 1985 | Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso | POSCO Atoms |
| 1986 | POSCO Atoms | Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso |
| 1987 | Daewoo Royals | POSCO Atoms |
| 1988 | POSCO Atoms | Hyundai Horang-i |
| 1989 | Yukong Kokkiri | Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso |
| 1990 | Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso | Daewoo Royals |
| 1991 | Daewoo Royals | Hyundai Horang-i |
| 1992 | POSCO Atoms | Ilhwa Chunma |
| 1993 | Ilhwa Chunma | LG Cheetahs |
| 1994 | Ilhwa Chunma | Yukong Elephants |
| 1995 | Ilhwa Chunma | Pohang Atoms |
| 1996 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| 1997 | Busan Daewoo Royals | Chunnam Dragons |
| 1998 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| 1999 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Busan Daewoo Royals |
| 2000 | Anyang LG Cheetahs | Bucheon SK |
| 2001 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Anyang LG Cheetahs |
| 2002 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| 2003 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| 2004 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Pohang Steelers |
| 2005 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | Incheon United |
| 2006 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| 2007 | Pohang Steelers | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
Winner (by team)
| Team | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 7 (1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006) | 2 (1992, 2007) |
| Pohang Steelers | 4 (1986, 1988, 1992, 2007) | 4 (1985, 1987, 1995, 2004) |
| Busan I'Park | 4 (1984, 1987, 1991, 1997) | 3 (1983, 1990, 1999) |
| Anyang LG Cheetahs | 3 (1985, 1990, 2000) | 4 (1986, 1989, 1993, 2001) |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 3 (1998, 1999, 2004) | 2 (1996, 2006) |
| Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 2 (1996, 2005) | 5 (1988, 1991, 1998, 2002, 2003) |
| Bucheon SK | 1 (1989) | 3 (1984, 1994, 2000) |
| Hallelujah FC | 1 (1983) | |
| Chunnam Dragons | 1 (1997) | |
| Incheon United | 1 (2005) |
K-League Sponsors
- 1983-1985: Korean Football Super League (No Sponsor)
- 1986: Football Festival & Professional Football Championship (Two kinds of championships, No Sponsor)
- 1987-1992: Korean Professional Football Championship (No Sponsor)
- 1993-1995: Hite Cup Korean League
- 1996-1997: Rapido Cup Korean League
- 1998: Hyundai Cup K-League
- 1999: Buy Korea Cup K-League
- 2000: Samsung Digital K-League
- 2001: POSCO K-League
- 2002: Samsung PAVV K-League
- 2003-present: Samsung Hauzen K-League
All-time K-League member clubs
There have been a total of 17 member clubs in the history of the K-League - those clubs are listed below with their current names (where applicable):
- Hallelujah (1983-1985)
- Hanil Bank (1984-1986)
- Busan I'Park (1983-present) (formerly Busan Daewoo Royals)
- Pohang Steelers (1983-present)
- Kookmin Bank (1983-1984)
- Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (1984-present)
- Gwangju Sangmu Phoenix (1985; 2003-present)
- Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (1989-present)
- Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (1994-present) (formerly Jeonbuk Buffalo)
- Chunnam Dragons (1995-present)
- Suwon Samsung Bluewings (1996-present)
- Daejeon Citizen (1997-present)
- Daegu FC (2003-present)
- FC Seoul (2004-present)
- Incheon United (2004-present)
- Jeju United FC (1983-present)
- Gyeongnam FC (2006-present)
- Bucheon SK (1996-2005)
- Anyang LG Cheetahs (1996-2003)
- Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma (1996-1999)
Famous players
Ahmad Elrich - formerly of Busan I'Park.
ANDRE Luiz Alves Santos - formerly of Anyang LG Cheetahs.- Dodô - formerly of Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.
- ITAMAR Batista da Silva - formerly of Chunnam Dragons, Pohang Steelers, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- MAGNO Alves - formerly of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
- João Soares da MOTA Neto - Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
- NADSON Rodrigues de Souza - Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- Adilson Ferreira de Souza (registered as POPO) - formerly of Busan I'Park and Gyeongnam FC.
- SANDRO Cardoso dos Santos - Chunnam Dragons. Formerly of Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- SANDRO Hiroshi - Chunnam Dragons. Formerly of Daegu FC.
- Rogerio Pinherio dos SANTOS - Gyeongnam FC. Formerly of Pohang Steelers.
- Tavares - formerly of Pohang Steelers.
- Tuta - formerly of Anyang LG Cheetahs and Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
Mato Neretljak - Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
Abbas Obeid Jassim - formerly of Anyang LG Cheetahs and Pohang Steelers.
Masakiyo Maezono - formerly of Anyang LG Cheetahs and Incheon United.
Goran Petreski (registered as KONAN) - formerly of Pohang Steelers.
Ahn Young-Hak - Busan I'Park and Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
EDMILSON Dias de Lucena - formerly of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
Pavel Badea - formerly of Suwon Samsung Bluewings.- Gabriel Popescu (registered as "GABIE") - formerly of Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- Adrian Neaga - formerly of Chunnam Dragons and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
Rade Bogdanović - formerly of Pohang Steelers.- Saša Drakulić - formerly of Busan Daewoo, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
- Radivoje Manic - formerly of Busan Daewoo/I.cons and Incheon United.
- Zoran Urumov - formerly of Busan I.cons and Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
Alpay Özalan - formerly of Incheon United.- Ahn Jung-Hwan - Busan I'Park. Formerly of Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- Choi In-Young - formerly of Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.
- Choi Jin-Cheul - formerly of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
- Choi Soon-Ho - formerly of Pohang Steelers.
- Choi Sung-Yong - formerly of Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.
- Ha Seok-Ju - formerly of Busan Daewoo and Pohang Steelers.
- Hong Myung-Bo - formerly of Pohang Steelers.
- Huh Jung-Moo - formerly of Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.
- Hwang Sun-Hong - formerly of Pohang Steelers, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Chunnam Dragons.
- Kim Dae-Eui - Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Formerly of Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
- Kim Do-Hoon - formerly of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
- Kim Do-Keun - formerly of Chunnam Dragons, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Gyeongnam FC.
- Kim Gi-Dong - Pohang Steelers. Formerly of Bucheon SK.
- Kim Joo-Sung - formerly of Busan Daewoo.
- Kim Hyun-Seok - formerly of Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.
- Kim Nam-Il - formerly of Chunnam Dragons and Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- Ko Jong-Soo - Daejeon Citizen. Formerly of Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Chunnam Dragons.
- Denis Laktionov a.k.a. "Lee Seongnam" - formerly of Suwon Samsung Bluewings, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Busan I'Park.
- Lee Chun-Soo - formerly of Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.
- Lee Dong-Gook - formerly of Pohang Steelers and Gwangju Sangmu.
- Lee Eul-Yong - FC Seoul. Formerly of Bucheon SK.
- Lee Kwan-Woo - Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Formerly of Daejeon Citizen.
- Lee Sa-Vik (formerly Jasenko Sabitović) - Chunnam Dragons. Formerly of Pohang Steelers, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- Lee Woon-Jae - Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- Lee Young-Pyo - formerly of Anyang LG Cheetahs.
- Noh Jung-Yoon - formerly of Busan I'Park and Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.
- Park Chu-Young - FC Seoul.
- Park Kun-Ha - formerly of Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- Park Tae-Ha - formerly of Pohang Steelers.
- Roh Sang-Rae - formerly of Chunnam Dragons and Daegu FC.
Valeri Sarychev (a.k.a. "Shin Eui-Son" or Hand of god) - formerly of Cheonan Ilhwa, Anyang Cheetahs FC and FC Seoul.- Seo Jung-Won - formerly of Anyang LG Cheetahs and Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
- Shin Tae-Yong - Formerly of Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
- Song Chong-Gug - Suwon Samsung Bluewings. Formerly of Busan I'Park.
- Woo Sung-Yong - Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i. Formerly of Busan I'Park, Pohang Steelers Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma.
- Yoo Sang-Chul - Formerly of Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i.
- Yoon Jung-Hwan - Formerly of Bucheon SK, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.
See also
- List of football clubs in South Korea
- List of South Korean footballers
- List of Korea-related topics
- Sports league attendances
External links
- Official K-League website (Korean only)
- ROKfootball.com website (English only)
- Footcoreen.com website (French only)
- Regular K-League news and player profiles
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K-League 2008 clubs
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K-League seasons
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1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 |
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