Daejeon Korail FC () is a South Korean football club based in Daejeon that competes in the K3 League, the third tier of South Korean football league system. It is owned and operated by Korea Railroad Corporation, South Korea's national railroad operator. Their home venue is Daejeon Hanbat Sports Complex.
History After being founded in 1943 by the Chosen Government Railway as Chosen Government Railway FC (), the team competed in various semi-professional football competitions throughout decades until they joined the Korea National League in 2003.
In 1948, the club changed its name to Ministry of Transportation FC after Joseon Railways was absorbed into Ministry of Transportation by the South Korean government.
The club was inactive during the Korean War and was re-established in 1961한국철도 38년만에 첫 우승할까 or 1962. It was renamed National Railroad FC () in 1963 and Korea Railroad FC () in 1995. In 2004, to comply with Korea National League's club naming policy, the club added the team's location to its name, changing the name to Incheon Korea Railroad FC (). After Korea National Railroad was renamed to Korail, the club's name was also changed again to Incheon Korail FC () during the 2007 season. At the end of the 2013 season, the club has been renamed to Daejeon Korail FC after the team's relocation from Incheon to Daejeon.
The team played in the Korea National League between 2003 and 2019, when the league merged with the K3 League. They won the 2005 season with a 4–2 aggregate victory over Suwon City in the final. In the Korean FA Cup, the team reached the quarter-finals in 2001 and the semi-finals in 2005. In the 2019 edition, the team reached the final, where they lost 4–0 on aggregate to the top division side Suwon Samsung Bluewings.
Honours
League Korea National League Winners (2): 2005, 2012 Runners-up (1): 2014
Cups Korean FA Cup Runners-up (1): 2019 Korea National League Championship Winners (3): 2013, 2015, 2018 Runners-up (1): 2016 Korean National Sports Festival Gold Medal (3): 2000, 2001, 2011 Korean National Football Championship Runners-up (1): 2000 Korean President's Cup Runners-up (1): 2004
Season-by-season records SeasonKorea National League / K3 LeagueKorean FA CupNational ChampionshipTop scorer (league goals)Manager Stage Teams Position1996No leagueDid not qualifyNot heldNo league1997Did not qualify1998Did not qualify1999Quarterfinals2000Preliminary round2001Quarterfinals2002Round of 162003First stage1093421410+4135thRound of 32Lee Soon-haeng (5)Second stage109126514−959th2004First stage10923469−397thRound of 16Group stageSung Nak-seon (3)Second stage10917110100105th2005First stage11104151011−1137thSemifinalsGroup stageKim Eun-chul (6)Second stage1110631147+7211stPlayoff2220042+2—Champions2006First stage11104331413+1156thRound of 16QuarterfinalsKim Heung-seop (9)Second stage1110532168+8184th2007First stage12117131610+6223rdRound of 26SemifinalsKim Min-soo (8)Kim Seung-heeSecond stage12116232018+2203rd2008First stage14132381221−9812thRound of 32SemifinalsPark Chun-sin (5)Second stage14133371324−111212th2009First stage14136522013+7233rdRound of 32Group stageHeo Sin-young (8)Second stage13125161115−4167th2010First stage15147522317+6263rdRound of 32Group stageKim Hyung-woon (9)Second stage15142571721−41113th2011Regular season142611692923+6396thSecond roundSemifinalsPark Ju-ho (6)Playoff6100123−1—Round of 62012Regular season142612683930+9425thRound of 32Group stageKim Tae-wook (7)Playoff65500114+7—Champions2013Regular season102712964232+10452ndSecond roundWinnersShin Myung-jae (9)Playoff4200215−4—Semifinal2014Regular season102714764128+13491stRound of 16Group stageKim Byung-ohMoon Byung-woo (both 9)Playoff4201113−2—Runners-up2015Regular season102789103627+9335thRound of 16WinnersKim Jun (6)2016Regular season102781093341–8347thRound of 32Runners-upKwak Chul-ho (16)2017Regular season82810993134–3394thRound of 32SemifinalsPark Jin-seop (11)2018Regular season82876153140–9277thRound of 32WinnersKwak Chul-ho (6)2019Regular season82810993836+2394thRunners-upSemifinalsLee Gwan-pyo (7)2020Regular season16157442512+13256thSecond roundNot heldChampionship round8228863018+12327th2021Regular season152881283230+2369thSecond round2022Regular season1630125132836–8419thRound of 162023Regular season1528116113432+2395thSecond round
References
External links Team info at info.korail.com