SEOUL, The 2023 season in the top South Korean football league will go down as one of “firsts” for two clubs at the opposite ends of the tables.
At the top, Ulsan Hyundai FC won their second straight K League 1 titles, the first time they have been able to repeat as the league champions.
Then at the bottom, Suwon Samsung Bluewings suffered their first relegation to the second-tier K League 2. The four-time league champions didn’t even get a chance to stay around in promotion-relegation playoffs, instead taking the direct fall to the lower division after winning just eight out of their 38 matches.
Ulsan Hyundai FC players and coaches lift the K League 1 championship trophy following their 1-0 win over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Munsu Football Stadium in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Dec. 3, 2023.
Ulsan finished as runners-up in 2019, 2020 and 2021, before ending their title drought at 17 years in 2022. And they picked up where they left off to begin the 2023 season, winning their first six matches. They opened up a 13-point lead over Pohang Steelers in early July.
Ulsan lost consecutive matches just once all season, and locked down their championship on Oct. 29, with three matches remaining on the season.
Ulsan also produced their second consecutive most valuable player (MVP) award winner, as defender Kim Young-gwon captured the top individual honor a year after veteran midfielder Lee Chung-yong did so.
Ulsan head coach Hong Myung-bo was voted the K League 1’s Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, too.
Hong is largely credited with establishing order and stability within Ulsan. Suwon Samsung, on the other hand, were anything but stable.
Ulsan Hyundai FC players throw their head coach Hong Myung-bo (C) in the air to celebrate their 2023 K League 1 title following a 1-0 win over Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Munsu Football Stadium in the southeastern city of Ulsan on Dec. 3, 2023.
They went through four head coaches in 2023 alone — two full-timers and two caretakers. Yeom Ki-hun, Suwon Samsung’s franchise leader in goals, assists and matches played, was thrust into the caretaker role for the season’s final stretch, after starting the year as player-coach. Yeom, though, couldn’t drag Suwon Samsung out of the relegation zone and gave a teary apology to angry supporters after the team’s goalless draw against Gangwon FC in the season finale on Dec. 2.
Suwon Samsung’s demise has been several years in the making, as their payroll has been in steady decline over the past decade. It doesn’t explain the whole picture, however, as clubs who have been spending even less money than Suwon Samsung have outperformed them on the field in recent seasons.
Source: Yonhap News Agency