Football in South Korea

Football in South Korea
Seoul World Cup Stadium in 2020
CountrySouth Korea
Governing bodyKorea Football Association
National teams
National teams
(women)
Nicknames
Clubs
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions

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.[1] Approximately 67% of the people in South Korea are interested in football.[2]

Beginning

In ancient times, Silla, one of Three Kingdoms of Korea, had a ball game called "Chuk-guk" (축국; 蹴鞠). Though Chukguk is similar to today’s football in many aspects, it features the distinctive rule that the ball should stay in the air during game play with the net also being mounted at a fixed distance above the ground.[3] However, Koreans first saw the present version of football in 1882 when British crew members played a game while their vessel, HMS Flying Fish, was visiting the Port of Jemulpo.[4][5]

After the establishment of a football team at Paichai Academy in Seoul in 1902, there was a footballing boom throughout Korea. The football was adopted as a physical education course at National Seoul Foreign Language School in 1904, and the first senior football match in Korea was contested between Korea Sports Club and Korea YMCA at Seoul Dongdaemun Stadium in 1905. The first Korean national football tournament, named All Joseon Football Tournament, was held by the Joseon Sports Council in 1921 after many football clubs and school football teams were formed since the 1910s including unofficial national team Joseon FC. The Joseon Referees' Association was created in 1928, and was reorganised as the Joseon Football Association (currently Korea Football Association) in 1933. The creation of Joseon FA led to the establishment of several prominent clubs on the peninsula as Korean football began to enter a different form. Kyungsung FC and Pyongyang FC, founded around the same time in the two biggest cities of Korea, made deep impressions at the All Joseon Tournament, and developed a strong rivalry followed by an intercity football series. Kyungsung FC also became the only Korean club to win the Emperor's Cup in Japan.[4][5]

Main articles

Relationships with English football

Since Tottenham Hotspur signed South Korean striker Son Heung-min in 2015, the club has been the most supported English Premier League club in South Korea. Previously, Manchester United was the most popular club in South Korea due to South Korean former midfielder Park Ji-sung. In 2020, a poll of South Koreans aged 16 to 69 found that 21.4% of respondents supported Tottenham Hotspur, compared to just 6.1% who supported Manchester United.[6] In 2024, a survey of football fans from eight countries across the Americas, Asia and Europe found that 42.3% of South Korean football fans were Tottenham Hotspur supporters.[7]

Attendances

The average attendance per top-flight football league season and the club with the highest average attendance:[8]

  1. ↑ The COVID-19 pandemic started.
  2. ↑ The K League was divided into the first and second divisions.
  3. ↑ A match-fixing scandal broke at the K League.
  4. ↑ South Korea hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
  5. ↑ The K League introduced the decentralization policy.
  6. ↑ South Korea was chosen to host the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
  7. ↑ The K League started to operate the home and away system instead of the national tour system.
  8. ↑ The K League's inaugural season was held.

One-club men

The following players played for only one professional club for 10 or more seasons without a transfer or loan to another professional club (excluding semi-professional or amateur club).

Player Professional club Career Seasons League appearances Ref.
Kim Poong-joo Busan Daewoo Royals 1983–199612159 [9]
Lee Tae-ho Daewoo Royals 1983–199210170 [10]
Chung Yong-hwan Daewoo Royals 1984–199411150 [11]
Yoo Dong-kwan Pohang Atoms 1986–199510186 [12]
Gong Moon-bae Pohang Steelers 1987–199812225 [13]
Song Ju-seok Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i 1990–199910195 [14]
Lee Young-sang Pohang Steelers 1990–199910187 [15]
Park Tae-ha Pohang Steelers 1991–200110189 [16]
Kim Tae-young Jeonnam Dragons 1995–200511199 [17]
Choi Jin-cheul Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 1996–200712240 [18]
Kim Jin-woo Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1996–200712197 [19]
Lee Jung-hyo Busan IPark 1999–200810165 [20]
Hwang Ji-soo Pohang Steelers 2004–201712270 [21]
Go Yo-han FC Seoul 2006–202318353 [22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 한국인이 좋아하는 40가지 [문화편] - 취미/운동/애창곡/영화/반려동물 (2004-2019) (in Korean). Gallup Korea. 25 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Football Fans by Country". Country Cassette. Retrieved 4 January 2026.
  3. ↑ "Chukguk". Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture.
  4. 1 2 "History of South Korean football". KFA. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012.
  5. 1 2 Trevena, Mark. "The British Influence On Korean Football". ROKfootball. Archived from the original on 17 July 2009.
  6. ↑ "Tottenham pass Man Utd as most popular club in South Korea". OneFootball. Tribal Football. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  7. ↑ "Real Madrid, Man Utd or Barcelona? New report reveals which club has the most overseas fans as Premier League clubs dominate - and Tottenham set record in South Korea". Goal.com. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  8. ↑ 클럽별 관중 현황 - 2025 (in Korean). K League. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  9. ↑ Kim Poong-joo – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  10. ↑ Lee Tae-ho – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  11. ↑ Chung Yong-hwan – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  12. ↑ Yoo Dong-kwan – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  13. ↑ Gong Moon-bae – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  14. ↑ Song Ju-seok – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  15. ↑ Lee Young-sang – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  16. ↑ Park Tae-ha – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  17. ↑ Kim Tae-young – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  18. ↑ Choi Jin-cheul – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  19. ↑ Kim Jin-woo – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  20. ↑ Lee Jung-hyo – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  21. ↑ Hwang Ji-soo – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  22. ↑ Go Yo-han – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean and English)
  • Shin Myung-chul: Histories of Korean sports by event – Football (in Korean)
(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14)
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