| Season | 2019 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1 March – 1 December 2019 |
| Champions | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (7th title) |
| Relegated | Gyeongnam FC Jeju United |
| Champions League | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Ulsan Hyundai FC Seoul Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Matches | 228 |
| Goals | 593 (2.6 per match) |
| Best Player | Kim Bo-kyung |
| Top goalscorer | Adam Taggart (20 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Gangwon 4–0Sangju (9 July 2019) |
| Biggest away win | Jeju 0–5Ulsan (3 August 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Gangwon 5–4Pohang (23 June 2019) |
| Longest winning run | 5 matches Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Longest unbeaten run | 18 matches Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Longest winless run | 20 matches Gyeongnam FC |
| Longest losing run | 5 matches Gyeongnam FC Jeju United |
| Highest attendance | 32,057 Seoul 4–2Suwon (16 June 2019) |
| Lowest attendance | 955 Jeju 3–0Seongnam (21 September 2019) |
| Average attendance | 8,014 |
←2018 2020 → | |
The2019 K League 1 was the 37th season of the top division of professionalfootball in South Korea since its establishment in 1983, and the seventh season of theK League 1.[1][2]Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors were the defending champions.
In the 17th round on 23 June, Pohang Steelers were leading Gangwon FC 4–0 away after 70 minutes, but Gangwon scored five unanswered goals including three in injury time to win 5–4.[3]
| Daegu FC | Gangwon FC | Gyeongnam FC | Incheon United | Jeju United | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DGB Daegu Bank Park | Chuncheon Songam Leports Town | Changwon Football Center | Incheon Football Stadium | Jeju World Cup Stadium | Jeonju World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity:12,415 | Capacity:20,000 | Capacity:20,245 | Capacity:20,891 | Capacity:35,657 | Capacity:42,477 |
 |  |  |  |  | |
| Pohang Steelers | Sangju Sangmu | Seongnam FC | FC Seoul | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Ulsan Hyundai |
| Pohang Steel Yard | Sangju Civic Stadium | Tancheon Stadium | Seoul World Cup Stadium | Suwon World Cup Stadium | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium |
| Capacity:17,443 | Capacity:15,042 | Capacity:16,146 | Capacity:66,704 | Capacity:44,031 | Capacity:44,102 |
 |  |  |  |  |
Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player fromAFC countries. A team could use four foreign players on the field each game including at least one player from the AFC confederation.[2] Players name inbold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors(C) | 38 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 72 | 32 | +40 | 79 | Qualification forChampions League group stage |
| 2 | Ulsan Hyundai | 38 | 23 | 10 | 5 | 71 | 39 | +32 | 79 | |
| 3 | FC Seoul | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 56 | Qualification forChampions League play-off round |
| 4 | Pohang Steelers | 38 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 49 | 49 | 0 | 56 | |
| 5 | Daegu FC | 38 | 13 | 16 | 9 | 46 | 37 | +9 | 55 | |
| 6 | Gangwon FC | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 56 | 58 | −2 | 50 | |
| 7 | Sangju Sangmu | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 49 | 53 | −4 | 55 | |
| 8 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 46 | 49 | −3 | 48 | Qualification forChampions League group stage[b] |
| 9 | Seongnam FC | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 30 | 40 | −10 | 45 | |
| 10 | Incheon United | 38 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 33 | 54 | −21 | 34 | |
| 11 | Gyeongnam FC(R) | 38 | 6 | 15 | 17 | 43 | 61 | −18 | 33 | Qualification forrelegation play-offs |
| 12 | Jeju United(R) | 38 | 5 | 12 | 21 | 45 | 72 | −27 | 27 | Relegation toK League 2 |
Leaders
Qualification forChampions League group stage
Qualification forChampions League play-off round
Qualification forrelegation play-offs
Relegation toK League 2
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulsan Hyundai | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| FC Seoul | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Daegu FC | 8 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Pohang Steelers | 11 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Gangwon FC | 12 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 10 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Seongnam FC | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Incheon United | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Jeju United | 7 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Team ╲ Round | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| FC Seoul | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Pohang Steelers | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Daegu FC | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Gangwon FC | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Seongnam FC | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Incheon United | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Jeju United | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Teams play each other twice, once at home, once away.
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GNM | ICU | JJU | JHM | PHS | SJS | SFC | SEO | SSB | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | — | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Gangwon FC | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 5–4 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–0 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 1–3 |
| Incheon United | 0–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 0–3 |
| Jeju United | 1–1 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 1–3 | 1–3 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Pohang Steelers | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Seongnam FC | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–4 |
| FC Seoul | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | — | 4–2 | 2–2 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–3 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | — |
Teams play every other team once (either at home or away).
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GNM | ICU | JJU | JHM | PHS | SJS | SFC | SEO | SSB | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daegu FC | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | — | 0–0 | — | — | — | 0–2 | — |
| Gangwon FC | — | — | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 2–1 | — | — | — | 1–3 | — |
| Gyeongnam FC | — | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 2–0 | — | 2–0 | 3–3 |
| Incheon United | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | 0–0 | — | — | 0–1 | — | — | 3–3 |
| Jeju United | — | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | — | 1–4 | 3–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–5 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 0–2 | — | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | |
| Pohang Steelers | — | — | — | 5–3 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seongnam FC | 1–2 | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | — |
| FC Seoul | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | — | 0–2 | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | — |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | — | — | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | — | 0–2 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 5–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | — | — |
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.
Final A[edit]
Source:K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. | Final B[edit]
Source:K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
|
The promotion-relegation play-offs were held between the winners of the 2019 K League 2 play-offs and the 11th-placed club of the 2019 K League 1.
Busan IPark won 2–0 on aggregate and were promoted to the K League 1, while Gyeongnam FC were relegated to the K League 2.
Source:[5]
Source:[5]
The 2019 K League Awards was held on 2 December 2019.[6]
Source:[6]
| Month | Player of the Month | Manager of the Month | Goal of the Month | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Club | Manager | Club | Division | Player | Club | |
| March |  Cesinha | Daegu FC |  Choi Yong-soo | FC Seoul | K League 1 | Kim Dae-won | Daegu FC |
| April | Kim Jin-hyuk | Daegu FC |  José Morais | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | K League 1 | Yeom Ki-hun | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| May | Kim Shin-wook | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Cho Deok-je | Busan IPark | K League 2 |  Aleksandar Pešić | FC Seoul |
| June | Cho Jae-wan | Gangwon FC | Park Jin-sub | Gwangju FC | K League 2 | Cho Jae-wan | Gangwon FC |
| July |  Adam Taggart | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Kim Do-hoon | Ulsan Hyundai | K League 1 | Éder | Seongnam FC |
| August | Wanderson Carvalho | Pohang Steelers | José Morais | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | K League 1 | Lee Soo-bin | Pohang Steelers |
| September | Júnior Negrão | Ulsan Hyundai | Kim Gi-dong | Pohang Steelers | K League 1 | Kim Ji-hyeon | Gangwon FC |
| October | Moon Seon-min | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Park Jin-sub | Gwangju FC | K League 2 | Moon Seon-min | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| November |  | Kim Gi-dong | Pohang Steelers | K League 1 | Kim Jin-su | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
Attendants who entered with free ticket are not counted.
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Seoul | 324,162 | 32,057 | 7,719 | 17,061 | +47.6%† |
| 2 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 278,738 | 20,637 | 10,044 | 13,937 | +16.9%† |
| 3 | Daegu FC | 203,951 | 12,172 | 8,247 | 10,734 | +205.1%† |
| 4 | Ulsan Hyundai | 184,148 | 19,011 | 1,568 | 9,692 | +28.8%† |
| 5 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 168,024 | 24,019 | 3,353 | 8,843 | +31.8%† |
| 6 | Incheon United | 161,593 | 18,541 | 4,879 | 8,505 | +92.0%† |
| 7 | Pohang Steelers | 161,134 | 14,769 | 2,486 | 8,481 | +13.3%† |
| 8 | Seongnam FC | 105,950 | 11,238 | 2,421 | 5,576 | +132.3%† |
| 9 | Gyeongnam FC | 73,646 | 7,252 | 1,034 | 3,876 | +23.0%† |
| 10 | Jeju United | 66,741 | 6,034 | 955 | 3,708 | +14.7%† |
| 11 | Gangwon FC | 54,331 | 5,823 | 1,732 | 2,860 | +110.9%† |
| 12 | Sangju Sangmu | 44,702 | 6,278 | 1,161 | 2,353 | +78.5%† |
| League total | 1,827,120 | 32,057 | 955 | 8,014 | +47.2%† |
Updated to games played on 1 December 2019
Source:K League
Notes:
† Teams that played previous season in K League 2.
