The 2018 K League 1 was the 36th season of the top division of professional football in South Korea since its establishment in 1983, and the sixth season of the K League 1, former K League Classic. The K League Classic was changed its name to "K League 1" in this season. As the 2018 FIFA World Cup start on 14 June, the last round before stoppage will be held on 19–20 May. The league will resume games on 7 July.

KEB Hana Bank
K League 1
Season2018
Dates2 March – 2 December 2018
ChampionsJeonbuk Hyundai Motors
(6th title)
RelegatedJeonnam Dragons
Champions LeagueJeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Gyeongnam FC
Ulsan Hyundai
Daegu FC
Matches played228
Goals scored620 (2.72 per match)
Best PlayerMarcão
Top goalscorerMarcão
(26 goals)
Biggest home winGangwon 7–0 Incheon
(19 August 2018)
Biggest away winGyeongnam 0–4 Jeonbuk
(11 April 2018)
Seoul 0–4 Jeonbuk
(20 May 2018)
Highest scoringJeonnam 6–4 Suwon
(19 August 2018)
Longest winning run9 matches
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Longest unbeaten run10 matches
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Longest winless run14 matches
Incheon United
Longest losing run6 matches
Daegu FC
Highest attendance30,122
Seoul 2–1 Suwon
(5 May 2018)
Lowest attendance290
Sangju 0–1 Gangwon
(24 November 2018)
Average attendance5,381
2017
2019

Teams

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General information

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Club City/Province Manager Owner(s) Other sponsor(s)
Daegu FC Daegu   Andre Daegu Government
Gangwon FC Gangwon   Kim Byung-soo Gangwon Provincial Government
Gyeongnam FC Gyeongnam   Kim Jong-boo Gyeongnam Provincial Government
Incheon United Incheon   Jørn Andersen Incheon Government Shinhan Bank
Incheon International Airport
Jeju United Jeju   Jo Sung-hwan SK Energy
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Jeonbuk   Choi Kang-hee Hyundai Motor Company
Jeonnam Dragons Jeonnam   Kim In-wan (caretaker) POSCO
Pohang Steelers Pohang, Gyeongbuk   Choi Soon-ho POSCO
Sangju Sangmu Sangju, Gyeongbuk   Kim Tae-wan Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps
FC Seoul Seoul   Choi Yong-soo GS Group
Suwon Samsung Bluewings Suwon, Gyeonggi   Seo Jung-won Cheil Worldwide Samsung Electronics
Maeil Dairies Industry
Ulsan Hyundai Ulsan   Kim Do-hoon Hyundai Heavy Industries

Stadiums

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Daegu FC Gangwon FC Gyeongnam FC Incheon United Jeju United Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Daegu Stadium Chuncheon Songam Leports Town Changwon Football Center Incheon Football Stadium Jeju World Cup Stadium Jeonju World Cup Stadium
Capacity: 66,422 Capacity: 20,000 Capacity: 20,245 Capacity: 20,891 Capacity: 35,657 Capacity: 42,477
         
Jeonnam Dragons Pohang Steelers Sangju Sangmu FC Seoul Suwon Samsung
Bluewings
Ulsan Hyundai
Gwangyang Football Stadium Pohang Steel Yard Sangju Civic Stadium Seoul World Cup Stadium Suwon World Cup Stadium Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium
Capacity: 13,496 Capacity: 17,443 Capacity: 15,042 Capacity: 66,704 Capacity: 44,031 Capacity: 44,102
         

Foreign players

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Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries. A team could use four foreign players on the field each game including a least one player from the AFC confederation. Players name in bold are registered during the mid-season transfer window.

As of 26 May 2018
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 AFC player Former players
Daegu FC   Césinha   Edgar Silva   Zé Roberto   Tsubasa Nishi   Caion
  Jean Carlos
Gangwon FC   Diego Maurício   Valentinos Sielis   Uroš Đerić   Dylan McGowan
Gyeongnam FC   Marcão   Negueba   Paulinho   Takahiro Kunimoto   Ivan Herceg
Incheon United   Gordan Bunoza   Elías Aguilar   Stefan Mugoša   Kwabena Appiah
Jeju United   Magno Cruz   Roberson   Tiago Marques   Aleksandar Jovanović
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors   Adriano   Ricardo Lopes   Tiago Alves
Jeonnam Dragons   Wanderson Carvalho   Wanderson Macedo   Vedran Jugović   James Donachie   Tomislav Mrčela
Pohang Steelers   Alemão   Jucimar Teixeira   Léo Gamalho   Connor Chapman   Getterson
FC Seoul   Anderson Lopes   Evandro Paulista   Bojan Matić   Ivan Kovačec
Suwon Samsung Bluewings   Elvis Sarić   Waguininho   Dejan Damjanović   Matthew Jurman
  Cristovam
Ulsan Hyundai   Richard Windbichler   Júnior Negrão   Mix Diskerud   Sergio Escudero   Mislav Oršić
  Yohei Toyoda

League table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (C) 38 26 8 4 75 31 +44 86 Qualification for Champions League group stage
2 Gyeongnam FC 38 18 11 9 59 44 +15 65
3 Ulsan Hyundai 38 17 12 9 61 46 +15 63 Qualification for Champions League play-off round
4 Pohang Steelers 38 15 9 14 47 48 −1 54
5 Jeju United 38 14 12 12 41 41 0 54
6 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 38 13 11 14 53 54 −1 50
7 Daegu FC 38 14 8 16 47 56 −9 50 Qualification for Champions League group stage[a]
8 Gangwon FC 38 12 10 16 56 60 −4 46
9 Incheon United 38 10 12 16 55 69 −14 42
10 Sangju Sangmu 38 10 10 18 41 52 −11 40
11 FC Seoul (O) 38 9 13 16 40 48 −8 40 Qualification for relegation play-offs
12 Jeonnam Dragons (R) 38 8 8 22 43 69 −26 32 Relegation to K League 2
Source: K League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference; 4) Wins; 5) Head-to-head points
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Qualified as champions of FA Cup.

Positions by matchday

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  Leaders
  Qualification for Champions League group stage
  Qualification for Champions League play-off round
  Qualification for relegation play-offs
  Relegation to K League 2

Round 1–33

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Team ╲ Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors344321111111111111111111111111111
Gyeongnam FC221112334432454422222222222222222
Ulsan Hyundai111112121110687786665555554443333333333
Suwon Samsung Bluewings955553222223223233333334444445554
Pohang Steelers113234446678788998776656555554445
Jeju United7107886563344332344445588887787766
Gangwon FC532445758857877666667875666666677
Daegu FC121211111212111112121212121212111111111210101010101091077888
FC Seoul691010109999999999887898767778899999
Sangju Sangmu1088997875565546779989999991091010101010
Jeonnam Dragons4797711121210101010101010101010101112121211121111111111111111
Incheon United866668101011111111111111121212121011111112111212121212121212
Source: K League

Round 34–38

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Source: K League

Results

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Matches 1–22

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Teams play each other twice, once at home, once away.

Home \ Away DGU GWN GNM ICU JJU JHM JND PHS SJS SEO SSB USH
Daegu FC 2–1 0–2 2–1 1–4 1–3 1–1 0–1 1–2 2–2 0–2 0–2
Gangwon FC 0–3 1–3 2–1 3–1 0–2 1–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 2–3 3–3
Gyeongnam FC 1–1 0–1 3–0 2–0 0–4 3–0 2–0 3–1 0–0 2–2 0–0
Incheon United 0–0 3–3 2–3 1–2 3–2 2–2 1–2 0–1 2–1 2–3 1–1
Jeju United 1–2 3–5 0–0 4–2 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 1–1
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2–1 3–1 0–1 3–3 1–0 3–0 0–3 1–0 2–1 2–0 2–0
Jeonnam Dragons 1–1 1–4 1–3 1–3 0–3 0–0 2–3 2–0 2–1 0–2 1–2
Pohang Steelers 3–0 0–0 2–1 0–0 0–1 0–2 3–1 0–2 0–3 1–1 2–1
Sangju Sangmu 0–1 3–0 0–1 3–2 0–0 0–2 1–1 2–1 1–2 1–1 2–3
FC Seoul 3–0 1–2 2–3 1–1 3–0 0–4 2–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 1–1
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2–0 2–0 3–1 5–2 2–3 0–3 1–2 1–1 2–1 0–0 0–0
Ulsan Hyundai 2–0 3–1 1–1 2–1 0–1 0–2 1–1 2–1 0–2 1–0 1–0
Source: K League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Matches 23–33

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Teams play every other team once (either at home or away).

Home \ Away DGU GWN GNM ICU JJU JHM JND PHS SJS SEO SSB USH
Daegu FC 2–0 2–2 1–2 2–1 4–2 0–2
Gangwon FC 7–0 1–1 2–3 0–0 1–0
Gyeongnam FC 2–1 0–1 0–2 2–1 2–1 3–3
Incheon United 2–2 3–1 0–0 0–0 3–2
Jeju United 2–3 2–2 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–0
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 2–1 3–2 3–2 4–0 1–0
Jeonnam Dragons 0–1 3–3 3–2 1–0 6–4 1–0
Pohang Steelers 2–1 0–3 1–0 2–2 5–2
Sangju Sangmu 2–5 1–1 2–2 1–2 1–2 1–2
FC Seoul 0–2 1–1 1–2 0–1 2–2
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1–0 0–0 2–0 1–2 2–2
Ulsan Hyundai 2–0 3–2 2–2 2–0 4–1 4–1
Source: K League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Matches 34–38

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After 33 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams each, with teams playing every other team in their section once (either at home or away). The exact matches are determined upon the league table at the time of the split.

Relegation play-offs

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The promotion-relegation play-offs were held between the winners of the 2018 K League 2 play-offs and the 11th-placed club of the 2018 K League 1. The winners on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the 2019 K League 1.

Busan IPark1–3FC Seoul
  • Rômulo   24'
Report
Attendance: 10,127
Referee: Kim Woo-sung

FC Seoul1–1Busan IPark
Report
Attendance: 8,554
Referee: Kim Dae-yong

FC Seoul won 4–2 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.

Player statistics

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Top scorers

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Rank Player Club Goals
1   Marcão Gyeongnam FC 26
2   Uroš Đerić Gangwon FC 24
3   Júnior Negrão Ulsan Hyundai 22
4   Stefan Mugoša Incheon United 19
5   Moon Seon-min Incheon United 14
6   Ricardo Lopes Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 13
  Dejan Damjanović Suwon Samsung Bluewings
  Lee Dong-gook Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
9   Kim Shin-wook Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 11
10   Heo Yong-joon Jeonnam Dragons 9

Source:[1]

Top assist providers

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Rank Player Club Assists
1   Cesinha Daegu FC 11
2   Elías Aguilar Incheon United 10
3   Lee Yong Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 9
4   Hong Chul Sangju Sangmu
Suwon Samsung Bluewings
8
5   Han Seung-gyu Ulsan Hyundai 7
  Negueba Gyeongnam FC

Source:[1]

Awards

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Main awards

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The 2018 K League Awards was held on 3 December 2018.

Award Winner Club
Most Valuable Player   Marcão Gyeongnam FC
Top goalscorer   Marcão Gyeongnam FC
Top assist provider   Cesinha Daegu FC
Young Player of the Year   Han Seung-gyu Ulsan Hyundai
Manager of the Year   Choi Kang-hee Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Source:[2]

Best XI

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Position Winner Club
Goalkeeper   Jo Hyeon-woo Daegu FC
Defenders   Hong Chul Suwon Samsung Bluewings
  Kim Min-jae Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
  Richard Windbichler Ulsan Hyundai
  Lee Yong Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Midfielders   Negueba Gyeongnam FC
  Choi Young-jun Gyeongnam FC
  Elías Aguilar Incheon United
  Ricardo Lopes Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors
Forwards   Marcão Gyeongnam FC
  Júnior Negrão Ulsan Hyundai

Source:[2]

Player of the Round

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Manager of the Month

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Month Manager Club Division
March   Jung Gab-suk Bucheon FC 1995 K League 2
April   Choi Kang-hee Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors K League 1
May   Nam Ki-il Seongnam FC K League 2
July   Kim Jong-boo Gyeongnam FC K League 1
August   Ko Jong-soo Daejeon Citizen K League 2
September   Ko Jong-soo Daejeon Citizen K League 2
October   Jo Sung-hwan Jeju United K League 1

Attendance

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Attendants who entered with free ticket are not counted.

Pos Team Total High Low Average Change
1 Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 226,224 19,108 5,005 11,907 +1.9%
2 FC Seoul 219,665 30,122 4,714 11,561 −29.1%
3 Ulsan Hyundai 142,944 14,228 1,059 7,523 −11.1%
4 Pohang Steelers 140,668 15,393 3,073 7,404 −11.6%
5 Suwon Samsung Bluewings 114,943 13,853 2,940 6,709 −23.6%
6 Incheon United 84,151 7,282 1,402 4,429 −25.3%
7 Daegu FC 66,837 13,351 477 3,518 +5.3%
8 Jeonnam Dragons 62,615 11,036 1,830 3,296 −19.8%
9 Gyeongnam FC 62,615 13,082 932 3,170 +32.3%
10 Jeju United 60,033 8,354 1,215 3,160 −22.1%
11 Gangwon FC 25,765 4,530 569 1,356 −41.2%
12 Sangju Sangmu 25,050 2,317 290 1,318 −19.9%
League total 1,241,667 30,122 290 5,445 −16.3%

Updated to games played on 7 December 2018
Source: K League
Notes:
Teams that played previous season in K League Challenge.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Data center - Official records - Recording room - K League 1 records - Individual record table" (in Korean). K League Data Portal. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b 말컹, K리그 최초 1·2부리그 MVP 석권…감독상 최강희 (in Korean). Inews24. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
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