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'Lion King' Lee Dong-gook roars back as Yongin FC's technical director

Published: 24 Sep. 2025, 17:51

Lee Dong-gook poses for a photo during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at his football academy Lee Dong Gook FC in Incheon on Sept. 18. [JUN MIN-KYU]

INCHEON — Lee Dong-gook, the K League’s all-time top scorer and once known as the “Lion King,” is back in the game — not as a coach, but as the architect of a brand-new club. Five years after retirement, he has taken charge as technical director of Yongin FC, which will join the K League 2 next season.

The 46-year-old was sitting in front of his laptop at his football academy, Lee Dong Gook FC, in Incheon on Sept. 18, organizing files when his phone rang. It was a scout calling from Europe.

“I have been called ‘player’ and ‘coach’ on the entertainment show ‘The Gentlemen's League,’ and ‘CEO’ at my football academy,” Lee said. “Now you can call me 'director of football operations,' or 'technical director.'”

Lee explained that a technical director oversees the overall management of a club.

“Think of it as the person running the household," Lee said. "I spend within the budget, decide on signings and transfers and support the manager so he can carry out his tactics. I am also responsible for building the youth development system. In Europe, the technical director has absolute power. I even saw them sit on the bench during games.”

Starting next year, the K League will require every club to appoint a technical director. The position is designed to handle long-term planning and technical development. Lee accepted Yongin's offer in June.

“I did many different things after retiring, but in the end, football is what I do best,” Lee said. “Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, my former club, already has a strong foundation, but Yongin FC is starting from zero. I wanted to see how a team gets built from scratch.”

Alongside Yongin, Gimhae FC and Paju Citizen FC will also join K League 2 next year. Gimhae and Paju Citizen already have squads from their K3 days, but Yongin must recruit around 30 players. Lee led the hiring of manager Choi Yun-kyum in July.

Lee Dong-gook poses for a photo during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at his football academy Lee Dong Gook FC in Incheon on Sept. 18. [JUN MIN-KYU]

“We looked at Choi's experience leading expansion teams and earning promotions,” Lee said. “We also considered his character. Players need to trust a manager if they are going to join a brand new team.”

Yongin already has a local pipeline in place. The Yong-in Football Center, founded in 2001, has produced players such as Kim Bo-kyung of FC Anyang, Kim Jin-su of Jeonbuk and Shin Min-ha of Gangwon FC. Yongin also plans to develop homegrown stars in the long run, although for now the club is targeting those without clubs and foreign players.

“We are focusing on hungry players who want to play,” Lee said. “The goal is to survive in midtable during the first two years, then fill in the gaps by the third and fourth years. By 2030, we want to reach the K League 1 promotion playoff.”

Lee runs his own football academy, Lee Dong-gook FC, in Incheon. In June, he led a high school squad to the semifinals of the “Gatorade 5v5 Tournament” in Germany. He has also published a training guide with a title that translates to “Thinking About Football” and attended three straight UEFA Champions League finals.

Although he has chosen the front office over coaching for now, Lee said he is keeping his options open about his future.

“I always want to leave different paths available,” he said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]