The award we share with the people who loved our son and father who received the trophy instead of the Hall of Fame Yoo Sang-cheol
Sep 16, 2025
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It was the emotion of Yoo Sun-woo, the son of the late director Yoo Sang-chul. The Korea Professional Football Federation held the 2nd 'K League Hall of Fame' induction ceremony at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul on the 16th. The K-League Hall of Fame was established in 2023 to honor the history and tradition of Korean professional football and to publicize the contributions of those who contributed to the development of the K-League. It operates in three categories: athletes, leaders, and contributors, and inductees are selected every two years.
Kim Joo-sung, Kim Byung-ji, the late Yoo Sang-cheol, and Deyan in the player category, former Suwon Samsung coach Kim Ho in the leader category, and Chung Mong-joon, honorary chairman of the Korea Football Association, in the contributor category. Choi Soon-ho, Hong Myung-bo, Shin Tae-yong, Lee Dong-guk, former coach Kim Jung-nam, and late POSCO Honorary Chairman Park Tae-joon were inducted at the first Hall of Fame in 2023.
At this year's induction ceremony, various programs were prepared to commemorate their performances and achievements by welcoming new inductees. Footballers with special ties to the inductees took the stage to introduce the contributions of the inductees and read their recommendations. A video showing the past performances of the inductees was also screened.
The inductee was awarded a trophy symbolizing the Hall of Fame's induction along with a certificate of induction recording their achievements in the K League. The trophy was embedded with a solid gold medal engraved with the symbol of the Hall of Fame, adding to the meaning of the induction.
The late Yoo Sang-chul made his professional debut with Hyundai Tiger in 1994 and was an all-weather multiplayer who played defense, midfielder and attack. In 1998, he showed outstanding scoring ability by becoming the top scorer in the K-League, and became the second player to be selected as a best-elven player in all three positions of defender, midfielder, and striker after Kim Joo-sung. Yoo Sang-chul scored 38 goals and 9 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.
Manager Yoo's disciple'Kim Ho-nam, director of K-League assist, said "Coach Yoo stood here as a player for Incheon in 2019, when he was last on the ground during his lifetime. Coach Yoo was the best multiplayer in Korean soccer history when he was active. The presence of Yoo Sang-cheol cannot be expressed only by recording. He was a player who symbolized the strength and grit of Korean soccer. He has strong physical strength, powerful medium-range shooting, determination, and dedication. Looking at the coach's play, I thought I wanted to be like that. He had a clear guiding philosophy and warm humanity. They gave great strength to the relegation crisis and overcame it together. He personally practiced without losing hope. The message to fight for fans, not compassion, was the last message Yoo Sang-chul, a human, left to his juniors."
Yoo Sun-woo took the stage as a proxy winner. Yu, who was honored on behalf of his father, said "It is a great honor just to be here on behalf of my father. Above all, I want to thank the fans and soccer officials who supported my father. This award is not just an individual's. I think it's an award I share with everyone who loved my father."
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
