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Six new members inducted into K League Hall of Fame

Published: 16 Sep. 2025, 13:50

From left: K League President Kwon Oh-gap, former manager Kim Ho, former striker Dejan Damjanovic, Korea Football Association Honorary President Chung Mong-joon, former K League MVP Kim Joo-sung and Yoo Sun-woo, former player Yoo Sang-chul's son and former goalkeeper Kim Byung-ji pose for a commemorative photo during the 2025 K League Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in central Seoul on Sept. 16. [YONHAP]

The K League Hall of Fame enshrined six new members in a ceremony Tuesday, a class that includes a late World Cup hero who excelled at multiple positions in the domestic league.

The K League's Hall of Fame was opened in 2023 to celebrate the league's 40th anniversary. The inaugural class of 2023 had six members — four in the "Stars" category for former players, one in the "Leaders" category for former coaches and one in the "Honors" category for other contributors to the league.

For this year, the four new inductees in the Stars category are: late K League star Yoo Sang-chul, former league MVP Kim Joo-sung, ex-goalkeeper Kim Byung-ji and former striker Dejan Damjanovic.

Ex-head coach Kim Ho was selected for the Leaders category, and former FIFA Vice President Chung Mong-joon went into the Hall of Fame in the Honors category.

Yoo won the K League scoring title for Ulsan in 1998. During his nine-year K League career, Yoo played as a forward, midfielder and defender. He and his fellow Hall of Fame inductee, Kim Joo-sung, are the only two players in league history to be named to the season-end Best XI at all three outfield positions.

Yoo also spent time in Japan before wrapping up his playing career with Ulsan in 2006. He was an integral part of Korea's unlikely run to the semifinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Following multiple coaching stops in the K League, Yoo died of cancer in 2021 at age 49.

Kim, 59, was one of the most versatile and skilled players in the K League in the 1980s and 1990s. The 1997 league MVP made his debut as a forward, and later thrived as a midfielder and a defender.

Kim Byung-ji holds the league records with 708 matches played and 229 clean sheets, counting League Cup matches. He even scored three goals in a career that spanned 24 seasons.

Kim Byung-ji speaks during the 2025 K League Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in central Seoul on Sept. 16. [YONHAP]

Damjanovic, a native of Montenegro, is the first foreign-born member of the Hall of Fame. Over his 12-year K League career, Damjanovic won three straight scoring titles from 2011 to 2013 — still the only player to lead the K League in goals three seasons in a row — and also captured the league MVP award in 2012. He ranks second on the all-time K League goal scoring list with 198, behind only Lee Dong-gook, a Hall of Fame inductee from 2023.

Kim Ho, former head coach of Ulsan, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Daejeon, holds the third-most coaching wins in league history with 208. He led Suwon Samsung to back-to-back league titles in 1998 and 1999, and also won consecutive Asian Club Championships — currently the Asian Football Confederation Champions League — in 2001 and 2002. Suwon Samsung also won the FA Cup — currently the Korea Cup — title in 2002.

Chung, the former president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), served as the commissioner of the K League from 1994 to 1998. On his watch, the league added four clubs and secured major sponsorship deals. He is also largely credited with bringing the FIFA World Cup to Korea in 2002.

Korea Football Association Honorary President Chung Mong-joon speaks during the 2025 K League Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in central Seoul on Sept. 16. [YONHAP]

To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a player must meet one of the following criteria: 300 matches in the top division, 100 goals scored for an outfield player, 100 clean sheets for a goalkeeper, a league goal scoring title or an assist title, a place on the season-end Best XI Team and a league MVP award.

Coaches were eligible if they had won at least two K League titles, recorded 100 wins and received a Coach of the Year award.

The six-member Hall of Fame Selection Committee picked 20 nominees out of 230 eligible players for the Stars category, and the inductees were chosen following votes by the committee, club officials, media and fans.

The selection committee chose the inductees in the Leaders and Honors categories.

Yonhap