K League (
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
: K리그) is South Korea's professional football league. It includes first division
K League 1
The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs.
History
The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...
and second division
K League 2
The K League 2 (Hangul: K리그2) is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the K League 1.
Hi ...
.
History
Until the 1970s, South Korean football operated two major football leagues, the
National Semi-professional Football League and the
National University Football League, but these were not professional leagues in which footballers could focus on only football. In 1979, however, the
Korea Football Association (KFA)'s president Choi Soon-young planned to found a professional football league, and made South Korea's first professional football club
Hallelujah FC
Hallelujah FC is a defunct South Korean football club. The club was officially founded on December 20, 1980 as the first professional football club in South Korea.
History
Hallelujah FC was founded by Choi Soon-young, president of the KFA at ...
the next year. After the South Korean professional baseball league
KBO League
The KBO League (), officially the Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League, is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers ar ...
was founded in 1982, the KFA was aware of crisis about the popularity of football. In 1983, it urgently made the ''Korean Super League'' with two professional clubs (
Hallelujah FC
Hallelujah FC is a defunct South Korean football club. The club was officially founded on December 20, 1980 as the first professional football club in South Korea.
History
Hallelujah FC was founded by Choi Soon-young, president of the KFA at ...
,
Yukong Elephants
Jeju United Football Club (Hangul: 제주 유나이티드) is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeju Province that competes in the K League 1, the top division in South Korea. In the past, the club has been known as the ''Yuko ...
) and three semi-professional clubs (
POSCO Dolphins,
Daewoo Royals,
Kookmin Bank
Kookmin Bank or KB Kookmin Bank () is among four of the largest banks ranked by asset value in South Korea, as of the end of March 2014. It is the largest among banks in Korea and the 60th largest in the world as of 2017.
History
The current KB ...
) to professionalize South Korean football. Then, the Super League accomplished its purpose after existing clubs were also converted into professional clubs (POSCO Atoms, Daewoo Royals) and new professional clubs joined the league. In the early years, it also showed a
promotion system by giving qualifications to the Semi-professional League winners. (
Hanil Bank in
1984,
Sangmu FC in
1985)
However, the number of spectators was consistently decreased despite KFA's effort, and so the professional league, renamed as the ''Korean Professional Football League'', operated home and away system to interest fans since 1987. On 30 July 1994, the Professional League Committee under KFA was independent of the association, and renamed as the "Korean Professional Football Federation". In 1996, South Korean government and the Football Federation introduced a
decentralization policy to proliferate the popularity of football nationally in preparation for the
2002 FIFA World Cup, which they wanted to host. Several clubs located in the capital
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
moved to other cities according to the new policy, but this was abolished after only three years and is regarded as a failed policy because it gave up the most populous city in South Korea. In 1998, the league was renamed again as current ''K League''.
It had the current format by abolishing the
K League Championship
The K League Championship was the final competition (playoffs) of the K League season. The K League originally had playoffs after regular seasons, but the name of playoffs was officially decided in 2009. This competition was abolished in 2011.
All ...
and the
Korean League Cup
The Korean League Cup was a professional football competition in South Korean football. It was held by the K League Federation from 1986 to 2012.
Sponsorship
Champions List of finals
Titles by club
K League's principle of official statis ...
after the 2011 season, and being split into two divisions in 2013. The first division's name was the ''K League Classic'', and the second division's name was the ''K League Challenge'' at the time. The fact that both the first and the second divisions had very similar names caused some degree of confusion and controversy. Beginning with the 2018 season, both divisions were renamed the ''K League 1'' and the ''K League 2'' respectively.
On February 23, 2021, an
OTT platform named "K League TV" officially began its service: born from a partnership between K League and their official relay operator abroad,
Sportradar
Sportradar AG is a multinational corporation with headquarters in St. Gallen, Switzerland, that collects and analyzes sports data for bookmakers, national and international sports federations, and media companies. As of 2022, the company has ...
, the platform would guarantee access to users from almost the whole world (except for Korea), broadcast K League 1 and K League 2 matches in real time and host game highlights and interviews. K League TV also represented the first official portal to publish content about both the championships in English.
Structure
Below the
K League 1
The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs.
History
The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...
, there is the
K League 2
The K League 2 (Hangul: K리그2) is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the K League 1.
Hi ...
, and both form the K League as professional championships. Under them, there are two semi-professional leagues (
K3 League
The K3 League is the third tier of South Korean football league system, which was created from the rebranding of the Korea National League (2003–2019) and the former K3 League (2007–2019) into K3 League and K4 League in 2020. 16 teams are ...
,
K4 League
The K4 League is the fourth tier of the South Korean football league system. After 2019, the semi-professional Korea National League and the former amateur K3 League were rebranded into the current K3 League and K4 League.
Competition format
T ...
) and several amateur leagues, but their clubs cannot be promoted to K League.
However, since 2021 K League 1 and K League 2 teams have been allowed to create
reserve teams set to play in the K4 League.
Promotion between K League 2 and K3 League starting from 2023 season.
Clubs
Current clubs
K League 1
K League 2
All-time clubs
As of 2023, there have been a total of 36 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 ''italics'' no longer exist.
Champions
Promotion-relegation playoffs
The K League promotion-relegation playoffs were introduced in 2013 and are contested between the eleventh-placed team of the K League 1 and the runners-up of the K League 2. The first leg is always played at the second division team's home ground, while the second leg is played at the first division team's home ground.
Records and statistics
K League officially includes records of
K League 1
The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs.
History
The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...
,
K League 2
The K League 2 (Hangul: K리그2) is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the K League 1.
Hi ...
and
Korean League Cup
The Korean League Cup was a professional football competition in South Korean football. It was held by the K League Federation from 1986 to 2012.
Sponsorship
Champions List of finals
Titles by club
K League's principle of official statis ...
in its statistics.
Restriction of foreign players
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. Since 1999, foreign goalkeepers are banned from the league because South Korean clubs excessively employed foreign goalkeepers after watching
Valeri Sarychev's performances at that time. In 2001 and 2002, 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. Since 2009, the number of foreign players went back up to four per team, including a slot for a player from
AFC countries. Since 2020, Southeast Asian players can be registered under the ASEAN Quota.
Relocation of clubs
In early years, the hometowns of K League clubs were determined,
but they were pointless in substance because the clubs played all K League matches by going around all stadiums together. The current home and away system is being operated since 1987. The clubs were relocated from provinces to cities in 1990, but clubs are currently based in their area regardless of province and city since 1994. In 1996,
the decentralization policy was operated. In result 3 clubs based in Seoul were relocated. Since 1996, it is obligatory for all clubs to include hometown name in their club name.
Awards
*
K League MVP Award The K League Most Valuable Player Award is a football award for players in K League. The award is given to the player deemed the most valuable player in the league each season.
K League 1 winners (1983–present)
K League 2 winners (2013 ...
*
K League Top Scorer Award The K League Top Scorer Award has been awarded to the top goalscorers of K League since the 1983 season.
K League 1 winners (1983–present)
K League 2 winners (2013–present)
See also
* K League
* K League records and statistics
* ...
*
K League Top Assists Award The K League Top Assists Award has been awarded to the top assist providers of K League since the 1983 season.
K League 1 winners (1983–present)
K League 2 winners (2013–present)
See also
* K League
* K League records and statistic ...
*
K League Young Player of the Year The K League Young Player of the Year Award means the best player among under-23 K League players. This award has been awarded since the 1985 season, the third season in the K League.
K League 1 winners (1985–present) Rookie of the Year (198 ...
*
K League Manager of the Year
*
K League Best XI
The K League Best XI is an award for the best eleven players in a K League season.
K League 1 award (1983–present) Winners
Players marked bold won the Most Valuable Player award in that respective year.
Appearances by player
Appearanc ...
*
K League FANtastic Player
The K League 'FAN'tastic Player is an annual award given to the player who is judged to have been the best of the year in South Korea. The word 'Fan'tastic means that a fanstasic player is chosen by fans. The award has been presented since the 2009 ...
Sponsorship
See also
*
Football in South Korea
Football in South Korea is run by the Korea Football Association. The association administers the national football team as well as the K League. Football is the most popular sport in South Korea.
Beginning
In ancient times, Silla, one of ...
*
K League 1
The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs.
History
The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...
*
K League 2
The K League 2 (Hangul: K리그2) is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the K League 1.
Hi ...
*
K League Championship
The K League Championship was the final competition (playoffs) of the K League season. The K League originally had playoffs after regular seasons, but the name of playoffs was officially decided in 2009. This competition was abolished in 2011.
All ...
*
Korean League Cup
The Korean League Cup was a professional football competition in South Korean football. It was held by the K League Federation from 1986 to 2012.
Sponsorship
Champions List of finals
Titles by club
K League's principle of official statis ...
*
K League All-Star Game
*
Korean FA Cup
The Korean FA Cup is a national football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the FA Cup was established in 1996, two predecessor competitions named All Joseon Football Tournament ...
*
Korean Super Cup
The Korean Super Cup was the annual curtain-raiser to the South Korean football season from 1999 to 2006, and was contested between the champions of K League and Korean FA Cup. It was dropped from the South Korean football calendar in 2007. Afte ...
*
South Korean football league system
The South Korean football league system contains two professional leagues, two semi-professional leagues, and various amateur leagues for Korean football clubs.
The highest level of football in South Korea is the K League 1, which was founded in 1 ...
*
South Korean football clubs in the AFC Champions League
This article shows results of South Korean football clubs in the AFC Champions League. South Korea's K League became the most successful league in the AFC Champions League by winning the most titles with twelve despite absenting itself from the c ...
*
R League
The R League ( ko, R리그), also known as the Korean Professional Football Reserve League, is the league for reserve teams of professional association football clubs in South Korea. The league started in 1990 with five reserve teams of K League ...
References
External links
Official K League website
{{Football in Korea Republic
Professional sports leagues in South Korea