Seoul: With his Ulsan HD FC having won the past three South Korean football titles, head coach Kim Pan-gon said Wednesday he knows other teams will try to do whatever it takes to dethrone Ulsan. Kim's response: bring it on. "When you're head coach of Ulsan, there is absolutely pressure to win. That just comes with the territory," Kim said at the season-opening K League 1 media day at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul. "But I think the team hired me because they expected me to deliver results. As long as I am here, I am supposed to be lifting trophies. That's my destiny."
According to Yonhap News Agency, Ulsan pulled off their three-peat despite undergoing a midseason coaching change. After leading them to back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, head coach Hong Myung-bo left Ulsan for the South Korean men's national team job in July. Kim, who had previously coached the Malaysian men's team, took over later in July and led them to the K League pinnacle. Ulsan posted nine wins, three draws, and one loss with Kim in charge.
They are one of just three K League teams to capture at least three titles in a row and will look to become only the second club to win four consecutive championships, after Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors won five in a row from 2017 to 2021. "I think we will be facing our toughest challenge yet this season," Kim said. "That's why we made key offseason signings. I think we have a lot of young and dynamic players with great character, and we have not lost key veterans who can help keep things steady and who can be a positive influence on young guys. We will do our best to win our fourth straight title."
Jeonbuk, after years of foiling Ulsan's title bids, suffered a spectacular fall from grace in 2024. They finished in 10th place among 12 clubs with 42 points and barely avoided their first relegation to the K League 2 by surviving a playoff series. Jeonbuk brought in Gus Poyet, former head coach of Sunderland and the Greek men's national team, to turn things around in 2025. On Tuesday, though, Poyet tried to temper expectations.
"As you know, Jeonbuk should be aiming to win trophies," the Uruguayan tactician said. "But after last year's bad performances, I think we need to be realistic and try to aim as high as possible, returning to probably where the fans and everybody related to Jeonbuk would like the club to be." Poyet said he wants to learn about the league and his players as quickly as possible, and "to help the players as much as I can for them to go and perform."
"In consequence, it is possible to help Korean football, putting players on the national team and trying to help the country," Poyet added. "I know my responsibilities as the only foreign coach (in the K League 1). But I understand football through pressure and I take it all the way."
Pohang Steelers head coach Park Tae-ha recalled a difficult start to the 2024 season, his first as their bench boss, but it ended well with Pohang winning their second straight title at the Korea Cup, the largest national tournament. "Compared to this time last year, I am in a much better spot," said Park, whose team finished sixth with 49 points. "I had to begin last season before I'd even figured out all the players. I've had more time to prepare for this season, and we are bringing back many of the key players from 2024. We will try to do better than last year and try to keep pace with title contenders until the end."
Gwangju FC finished ninth with 47 points in 2024, a letdown after they had enjoyed a surprising third-place finish in 2023. Their head coach Lee Jung-hyo said the realistic goal for his club is to stay in the middle of the pack. "I am not satisfied with how our training has gone so far but we've been making some progress," Lee said. "We'll just try to take it one match at a time, building plans for each game and sticking to them before thinking about the next one."
The K League organized a separate presser for these four clubs because of scheduling issues. While the domestic league season kicks off on Feb. 15, Ulsan, Pohang and Gwangju will play league-phase matches at the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite tournament next Tuesday and Wednesday. Jeonbuk will play the first match of their two-legged round of 16 showdown against the Thai club Port FC on Feb. 13. The remaining eight K League 1 clubs will be gathered for their own media day in Seoul on Feb. 13.