The difference between the K-League and the J-League seen by a columnist with 51 years of experience

Jul 22, 2025

The difference between the K-League and the J-League seen by a columnist with 51 years of experience
◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association



Close but distant neighbors, destiny rivals. However, it is clear that they cannot turn a blind eye to them. This is the case with the K-League and the J-League, which are the grass roots of soccer between Korea and Japan.

Both leagues are leading brands in Asia beyond East Asia. Launched as a Super League in 1983, the K-League has played a leading role in Asia, as seen in the most winning countries (12 times) in the Asian Champions League. Numerous outstanding players have spread to various parts of Asia, and they have also boasted their top-class skills on the European stage. The J-League, which was launched in 1993, started later than the K-League, but achieved great progress and reached the top league status in Asia. Qualitative and quantitative growth was achieved based on solid capital and systems. Recently, numerous athletes are going directly to Europe, and they have a solid structure, including extending a broadcasting rights contract worth 2.3 trillion won with British sports OTT company DAZN.

Takeo Goto, a Japanese soccer columnist who has been active since the 1974 West German World Cup, published a column on Web Sportiva saying, `What is the difference between the J-League and the K-League, a professional soccer league between Korea and Japan that reflects the social form.'




After the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup), Goto, who stayed in Korea for a week and watched the K-League, first visited the Daegu-Kimcheon match at iM Bank Park in Daegu on the 17th. "Unlike Korean soccer in the past, the game was almost the same as the J-League style and level, such as pass connection, build-up, and box-to-box, but it was more than the J-League and there were many dangerous plays," Goto said.

The difference between the K-League and the J-League seen by a columnist with 51 years of experience
◇photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association
"One of the reasons for the creation of the J-League in 1993 was the complete defeat against Korea in the final match of the 1986 Mexico World Cup. At the time, manager Takaji Mori was close to Kim Jung-nam, who was leading South Korea, and he introduced the need to reduce the environmental difference between the two countries and specialize in the K-League, which was created first through manager Kim. Later, he explained the history of Korean professional sports, which was launched in an incomplete form as part of the J-League's founding process and the 3S policy during the Chun Doo-hwan era.

Goto solved the conflicting professionalization development process between the two countries from the perspective of differences in society. He said, `Korea was practically professional even amateur players in the 1980s. Therefore, there were many players who joined the Hong Kong professional team that could earn high pay at the time or entered Europe"On the other hand, Japan was a lifelong employment society at the time, and college graduates were able to work for companies until retirement even after joining the unemployment team. The Japanese Football Association leadership's opposition to professionalization was also an important part of the players' post-retirement life design", he introduced. In addition, "In both Korea and Japan, it was large companies that became the parent of professional teams, but most of Korea was an emerging conglomerate that grew rapidly during the Park Chung-hee administration and the owner family held decision-making rights. "The structure that has no choice but to be related to the regime" and pointed out that "Japan, on the other hand, has a structure that takes time, such as initiating a corporate decision-making process and making a decision on the board of directors." "It is a Korea-Japan professional football league that was launched to reflect each type of society, but it should be clearly remembered that each other's existence until success was a great stimulus."








This article was translated by Naver AI translator.