K League () is South Korea's professional football league. It includes the first division K League 1 and the second division K League 2. Clubs competing in the K League have won a record total of twelve AFC Champions League titles, the top continental competition for Asian clubs.
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, and footballers could not focus solely on football. In 1979, however, the Korea Football Association (KFA) president Choi Soon-young planned to establish a professional football league, and founded South Korea's first professional football club, Hallelujah FC, the following year. After the South Korean professional baseball league KBO League was founded in 1982, the KFA was aware of crisis about the popularity of football. In 1983, it urgently founded the Korean Super League with two professional clubs (Hallelujah FC, Yukong Elephants) and three semi-professional clubs (POSCO Dolphins, Daewoo Royals, Kookmin Bank) 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 its early years, it also used a promotion system by granting qualification to the semi-professional League winners. (Hanil Bank in 1984, Sangmu FC in 1985)
However, the number of spectators consistently decreased despite KFA's effort, and so the professional league, renamed as the Korean Professional Football League, operated a 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, the 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 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.
The league adopted its current format by abolishing the K League Championship and the Korean League Cup 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.
In February 2021, an OTT service for international markets called K League TV was officially launched.
Structure
Below K League 1 is the second-tier K League 2, and both form the K League as professional championships. Under them, there are two semi-professional leagues (K3 League and K4 League) and three amateur leagues (K5, K6 and K7 Leagues). At present, promotion and relegation exists within each of the three levels (professional, semi-professional, and amateur) but clubs from K3 and below cannot be promoted to the K League. However, the KFA has announced plans to combine the three promotion-relegation systems into one from 2027.
Since 2021, K League 1 and K League 2 teams have been permitted to field their reserve teams in the K4 League.
Clubs Current clubs K League 1
K League 2
All-time clubs As of 2026, there have been a total of 40 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.
No. Club Owner(s) 1 POSCO Dolphins (1983–1984)POSCO Atoms (1985–1994)Pohang Atoms (1995–1996)Pohang Steelers (1997–present) POSCO 2 Hallelujah FC (1983–1985) 3 Yukong Elephants (1983–1995)Bucheon Yukong (1996–1997)Bucheon SK (1997–2005)Jeju United (2006–2024)Jeju SK (2025–present) SK Energy 4 Daewoo Royals (1983–1995)Busan Daewoo Royals (1996–1999)Busan I'Cons (2000–2004)Busan IPark (2005–present) Daewoo (1983–1999)HDC Group (2000–present) 5 Kookmin Bank (1983–1984) Kookmin Bank 6 Hyundai Horang-i (1984–1995)Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (1996–2007)Ulsan Hyundai (2008–2023)Ulsan HD (2024–present) Hyundai Motor Company (1984–1997)Hyundai Heavy Industries (1998–present) 7 Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso (1984–1990)LG Cheetahs (1991–1995)Anyang LG Cheetahs (1996–2003)FC Seoul (2004–present) LG Group (1984–2004)GS Group (2004–present) 8 Hanil Bank FC (1984–1986) Hanil Bank 9 Sangmu FC (1985) Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps 10 Ilhwa Chunma (1989–1995)Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma (1996–1999)Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (2000–2013)Seongnam FC (2014–present) Ilwha Company (1989–2013)Government of Seongnam (2014–present) 11 Chonbuk Buffalo (1994) Bobae Soju 12 Jeonbuk Dinos (1995–1996)Jeonbuk Hyundai Dinos (1997–1999)Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2000–present) Hyundai Motor CompanyHyunyang Company (1995–1999) 13 Jeonnam Dragons (1995–present) POSCO 14 Suwon Samsung Bluewings (1996–present) Samsung Electronics (1996–2014)Cheil Worldwide (2014–present) 15 Daejeon Citizen (1997–2019)Daejeon Hana Citizen (2020–present) Dong Ah Group (1997–1998)Chungchong Bank (1997–1998)Dongyang Department Store (1997–1999)Kyeryong Construction Company (1997–2002)Government of Daejeon (2003–2019)Hana Financial Group (2020–present) 16 Gwangju Sangmu (2003–2010) Korea Armed Forces Athletic CorpsGovernment of Gwangju 17 Daegu FC (2003–present) Government of Daegu 18 Incheon United (2004–present) Government of Incheon 19 Gyeongnam FC (2006–present) Government of Gyeongnam Province 20 Gangwon FC (2009–present) Government of Gangwon Province 21 Sangju Sangmu (2011–2020) Korea Armed Forces Athletic CorpsGovernment of Sangju 22 Gwangju FC (2011–present) Government of Gwangju 23 Police FC (2013)Ansan Police (2014–2015)Ansan Mugunghwa (2016) KNP Sports ClubGovernment of Ansan (2014–2016) 24 Goyang Hi FC (2013–2015)Goyang Zaicro (2016) 25 Chungju Hummel (2013–2016) Hummel Korea 26 Suwon FC (2013–present) Government of Suwon 27 Bucheon FC 1995 (2013–present) Government of Bucheon 28 FC Anyang (2013–present) Government of Anyang 29 Seoul E-Land (2015–present) E-Land Group 30 Asan Mugunghwa (2017–2019) KNP Sports ClubGovernment of Asan 31 Ansan Greeners (2017–present) Government of Ansan 32 Chungnam Asan (2020–present) Government of AsanGovernment of Chungnam Province 33 Gimcheon Sangmu (2021–present) Korea Armed Forces Athletic CorpsGovernment of Gimcheon 34 Gimpo FC (2022–present) Government of Gimpo 35 Cheonan City (2023–present) Government of Cheonan 36 Chungbuk Cheongju (2023–present) Government of Cheongju 37 Hwaseong FC (2025–present) Government of Hwaseong 38 Gimhae FC 2008 (2026–present) Government of Gimhae 39 Paju Frontier (2026–present) Government of Paju 40 Yongin FC (2026–present) Government of Yongin
Champions
YearK League 1K League 21983Hallelujah FCNo second-tierprofessional league1984Daewoo Royals1985Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso1986POSCO Atoms1987Daewoo Royals1988POSCO Atoms1989Yukong Elephants1990Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso1991Daewoo Royals1992POSCO Atoms1993Ilhwa Chunma1994Ilhwa Chunma1995Ilhwa Chunma1996Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i1997Busan Daewoo Royals1998Suwon Samsung Bluewings1999Suwon Samsung Bluewings2000Anyang LG Cheetahs2001Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma2002Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma2003Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma2004Suwon Samsung Bluewings2005Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i2006Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma2007Pohang Steelers2008Suwon Samsung Bluewings2009Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors2010FC Seoul2011Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors2012FC Seoul2013Pohang SteelersSangju Sangmu2014Jeonbuk Hyundai MotorsDaejeon Citizen2015Jeonbuk Hyundai MotorsSangju Sangmu2016FC SeoulAnsan Mugunghwa2017Jeonbuk Hyundai MotorsGyeongnam FC2018Jeonbuk Hyundai MotorsAsan Mugunghwa2019Jeonbuk Hyundai MotorsGwangju FC2020Jeonbuk Hyundai MotorsJeju United2021Jeonbuk Hyundai MotorsGimcheon Sangmu2022Ulsan HyundaiGwangju FC2023Ulsan HyundaiGimcheon Sangmu2024Ulsan HDFC Anyang2025Jeonbuk Hyundai MotorsIncheon United
Promotion-relegation play-offs The K League promotion-relegation play-offs were introduced in 2013 and are contested between the eleventh-placed team of K League 1 and the runners-up of 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. Starting in 2022, another series was added between the tenth-placed team of K League 1 and the third-placed team of K League 2.
Season K League 1Aggregate K League 21st leg2nd leg 2013 Gangwon FC 2–4 Sangju Sangmu 1–4 1–0 2014 Gyeongnam FC 2–4 Gwangju FC 1–3 1–1 2015 Busan IPark 0–3 Suwon FC 0–1 0–2 2016 Seongnam FC 1–1 (a) Gangwon FC 0–0 1–1 2017 Sangju Sangmu 1–1 Busan IPark 1–0 0–1 2018 FC Seoul 4–2 Busan IPark 3–1 1–1 2019 Gyeongnam FC 0–2 Busan IPark 0–0 0–2 2020 Not held 2021 Gangwon FC 4–2 Daejeon Hana Citizen 0–1 4–12022 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2–1 FC Anyang 0–0 2–1 Gimcheon Sangmu 1–6 Daejeon Hana Citizen 1–2 0–42023 Gangwon FC 2–1 Gimpo FC 0–0 2–1 Suwon FC 6–4 Busan IPark 1–2 5–2 2024 Daegu FC 6–5 Chungnam Asan 3–4 3–1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4–2 Seoul E-Land 2–1 2–12025 Jeju SK 3–0 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1–0 2–0 Suwon FC 2–4 Bucheon FC 1995 0–1 2–3
Records and statistics
K League officially includes records of K League 1, K League 2, K League Championship, and Korean League Cup 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. In 1999, foreign goalkeepers were 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 to seven but only three could play in a game at the same time. The limit was lowered 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. Between 2020 and 2024, Southeast Asian players could be registered under the ASEAN Quota. The prohibition of foreign goalkeepers was abolished in 2025, and they will be able to play in the league since 2026.
SeasonLineupSquadNote1983–1993221994231995331996–200035The number of foreign goalkeepers' appearances was limited in 1997 and 1998, and their employment was banned in 1999. 1997: Two-thirds of all matches 1998: One-third of all matches 1999–2025: Banned in the league2001–200237Temporary operation due to frequent call-ups of the World Cup team.2003–2004352005342006–2008332009–20193+13+1+1 AFC player2020–20243+1+13+1+1+1 AFC player +1 ASEAN player; only used by K League 2 since 2023.2023–20243+15+1+1 AFC player; only used by K League 1.2025–present45 or 6K League 1 teams can register six foreign players each in their squads, while K League 2 teams can register five. The foreign goalkeepers' employment is being allowed since 2026.
Relocation of clubs