Gyeongju Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Women's Football Club (), also known as Gyeongju KHNP WFC, is a South Korean women's football club. The club was founded by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power in 2017 and competes in the WK League. They play their home games at Gyeongju Football Park.
History
Foundation Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power FC, a men's team competing in the National League, had moved to Gyeongju in 2013. In October 2016, the president of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd and the mayor of Gyeongju announced the formation of an attached women's team.
The team was formally founded in March 2017 with 27 players and 5 coaches, including manager Ha Keum-jin, who had previously coached the under-20 women's national team in 2014 and the under-16 women's national team in 2015. They played their first match on 17 April 2017 against Boeun Sangmu.
Departure of Ha Keum-jin and KFA investigation After finishing the 2017 season in seventh place, Gyeongju KHNP finished in second place in the regular league in 2018. Amid speculation over the sudden departure of manager Ha Keum-jin due to "personal reasons", the team beat Suwon FMC in the playoff semi-final to qualify for the two-legged championship final against Incheon Hyundai Steel. Despite leading 3–0 after the first leg at home, the final ended as a 4–4 draw on aggregate, and Gyeongju lost 3–1 in a penalty shoot-out to finish as league runners-up.
In early 2019, the club was investigated by the Korea Football Association after accusations of sexual misconduct by former manager Ha Keum-jin. After it emerged that the real reason for Ha's mid-season departure in 2018 was a dismissal due to sexual violence against a player at the club, KHNP was accused of a cover-up. The club denied this allegation. Following reports that Ha had previously been dismissed from the KFA in January 2016 due to sexual harassment, the Korea Women's Football Federation stated that Gyeongju KHNP had been unaware of this fact when they hired him the following year.
Chasing the WK League title The 2019 season finished with Gyeongju and Suwon FMC in second and third place respectively, leading to a replay of the previous year's playoff semi-final. This time, Suwon won 2–0 and progressed to the final against Incheon Hyundai Steel. In December 2019, the club announced Song Ju-hee as its new manager.
From 2020 to 2022, the same three teams again finished at the top of the league table, with Gyeongju defeating Suwon to progress to the final against Incheon Hyundai Steel but ultimately finishing as runners-up in all three years. They finished the 2023 season in fourth place. The following year, they finished the regular league in third position and once again met Suwon FC (formerly Suwon FMC) in the playoff, which ended as a draw after extra time. Gyeongju lost 5–4 in the resulting penalty shoot-out after Jang Sel-gi's attempt was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Kyung-hee. After a disappointing 2025 season that saw KHNP finish in fourth place despite being tipped by some as title favourites, manager Song Ju-hee departed the club and was replaced by Park Nam-yeol ahead of the 2026 season.
Colours and badge Gyeongju KHNP play in green at home and white away from home. The club emblem comprises a shield, representing the history of the city of Gyeongju, and a circle representing Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. The emblem also features the mythical winged horse Chunma, signifying the club's relentless energy and attacking play. The club mascot is also a winged horse, named 'Hantori', a portmanteau of the club's name in Korean and the word 'victory'.
Stadium Gyeongju play their home games at , located within Gyeongju's Hwangseong Park. The team plays on Pitch 3, which has a capacity of 650.
Current squad
Backroom staff Coaching staff Manager: Park Nam-yeol Head coach: Song Yu-na Coach: Park Ji-young Goalkeeping coach: Kwon Ki-bo Fitness coach: Jang Ji-seok Medical trainer: Yang Min-ji
Source: Official website
Honours WK League Runners-up (4): 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022
Season-by-season records Season WK League regular season Position Playoffs 2017 285617235321 7th Did not qualify 2018 281657543553 2nd Runners-up 2019 281477623549 2nd Semifinals 2020 211731431354 2nd Runners-up 2021 211632591751 2nd Runners-up 2022 211542462149 2nd Runners-up 2023 21966252133 4th Did not qualify 2024 281495543651 3rd Semifinals 2025 281279473843 4th Did not qualify
See also Gyeongju Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power FC
References
External links