Yoo Sang-cheol → Kim Joo-sung → Kim Byung-ji → Dejan, K-League Hall of Fame...Chairman Chung Mong-joon → Director Kim Ho, Contribution → Leader's dedication
Jul 01, 2025
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In the player category, four people, including the late Yoo Sang-chul, Kim Byung-ji, Kim Joo-sung, and Dejan, were selected as inductees. Yoo Sang-chul made his professional debut with Hyundai Tiger (now Ulsan HD) in 1994 and was an all-weather multiplayer who played defense, midfielder and attack.
In 1998, he showed excellent scoring ability by becoming the top scorer in the K-League, and became the second player to be selected as the best 11 in all three positions of defender, midfielder, and striker after Kim Joo-sung. Yoo Sang-chul scored 38 goals and nine assists in 144 K-League games, and after a successful career in the Japanese J-League, he returned to Ulsan in 2005 and retired from active duty the following year.
After retirement, he continued his second soccer life as a leader by coaching in Daejeon, Jeonnam, and Incheon, and especially while fighting cancer when he was the Incheon coach, he kept the field to the end and left a lot of resonance. Yoo Sang-chul is still remembered as an iconic figure in Korean soccer after his death in 2021.
Kim Byung-ji is a legendary goalkeeper who has played in the K League for 24 years since his debut with the Hyundai Tiger in 1992. Kim Byung-ji played in a total of 708 K-League games, including the Cup, and recorded a clean sheet in as many as 229 games.
Despite his goalkeeper position, Kim Byung-ji scored three goals during his active career and was nicknamed the "goal goalkeeper," and was selected to the K-League's Best Eleven four times as a member of Ulsan (1996, 1998), Pohang (2005), and Seoul (2007). Kim Byung-ji has maintained the K-League stage for a long time based on thorough self-management and strong mental strength, and has established himself as a symbolic figure of Korean soccer both inside and outside the stadium.
Kim Joo-sung was the best all-around player in the K-League who made his professional debut with Daewoo Royals (now Busan) in 1987 and earned the nickname 'Wild Horse' based on his brilliant skills and strong physical strength. Kim Joo-sung has scored 35 goals and 17 assists in 255 K-League games, and is the first K-League player to be selected as the best 11 in all three positions: striker, midfielder, and defender.
After winning the best 11 striker category in his 1987 debut season, Kim Joo-sung became a cross-position legend, making him a best-Eleven name in the midfield category in 1991 and the defender category in 1996, 1997 and 1999. He was named MVP of the 1997 season and impressed fans at home and abroad with his performances as a member of Busan Daewoo and the national team.
Dejan was the first foreign player to be inducted into the K League Hall of Fame. Dejan has played in the K-League only in Seoul, Suwon, and Daegu for a total of 12 years since his K-League debut in Incheon in 2007. Dejan showed his overwhelming presence on the front line by playing 380 games in the K League (including the League Cup) and scoring 198 goals and 48 assists.
From 2010 to 2013, he was selected as the best-Eleven in the striker category for four consecutive years, and in 2012, he won the K-League MVP and the top scorer at the same time. Dejan, the best goal scorer in the K-League, who was famous for an era, ranks second in K-League scoring after Lee Dong-guk (228 goals).
Director Kim Ho was selected as the leader's contributor. As the manager of Hyundai Tigers from 1988 to 1990, Suwon Samsung from 1995 to 2003, and Daejeon Citizen from 2007 to 2009, Kim recorded 208 wins, 154 draws and 181 losses in the K League (including the League Cup). Kim's 208 wins are the third most wins after Choi Kang-hee (229 wins) and Kim Jung-nam (210 wins).
Kim took over as the first manager of Suwon Samsung in 1995 and led the new team Suwon to the strongest team in the league. He won two consecutive K-League titles in 1998 and 1999, followed by two consecutive Asian Club Championships (now AFC Champions League) in the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 seasons, and led him to the FA Cup (now Korea Cup) in 2002 to win various domestic and international competitions. Head coach Kim established Suwon Samsung as a prestigious K-League club based on excellent tactics and broad soccer horizons, and produced numerous star players from Suwon.
Chung Mong-joon, honorary chairman of the Korea Football Association, was named in the Contributor category. Chairman Chung served as the first and second president of the Federation from 1994 to 1998 when the Korean Professional Football Federation was founded. During Chung's tenure, the K-League made several developments, including the introduction of a title sponsor system, expansion to 10 club systems through the establishment of Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Suwon, and Daejeon, and the establishment of a regional linkage system.
Chairman Chung served as president of the Korea Football Association from 1993 to 2009, playing a key role in attracting and successfully hosting the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. The 2002 World Cup had a profound impact on the development and awareness of K-League infrastructure, with World Cup stadiums built in 10 cities nationwide being used as home stadiums for K-League clubs.
Chairman Chung also elevated Korea's status in international soccer by serving as FIFA vice president and executive committee member. The federation decided to donate to the K-League Hall of Fame Contributor category in honor of Chairman Chung Mong-joon's achievements in driving the systematization of K-League and Korean soccer.
The K-League Hall of Fame was established to commemorate the contributions of those who have shone in Korean professional football and to leave their footprints in K-League history to mark the 40th anniversary of the launch of the K-League in 2023. Choi Soon-ho, Hong Myung-bo, Shin Tae-yong, Lee Dong-guk, former coach Kim Jung-nam in the leadership category, and late POSCO Honorary Chairman Park Tae-joon in the contributors category were named as the first Hall of Fame inductees in 2023.
The selection of the inductee was carried out after screening by the 'K League Hall of Fame Selection Committee'. In the player category, the selection committee recommended 20 people after discussing 230 retired players who met the basic conditions for the candidacy, and four inductees were finally selected through the selection committee's own vote (40%), club representative and manager vote (20%), media vote (20%), and online fan vote (20%). The inductees in the leadership and contributors categories were selected by internal agreement of the selection committee.
The Professional Federation will hold an induction ceremony for the 「K League Hall of Fame" in September and invite donors to present trophies and certificates of induction. Afterwards, the achievements of the inductees will be announced and commemorated throughout the year, including events such as invitations to related club home games, making commemorative videos, and dedicating online memorials.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
