K League 1 Winter Transfer Market Is Hot

Recruit Hwang Seok-ho of Ulsan J-League as 'Champion'

Kwon Chang-hoon leaves Suwon for rival Jeonbuk

Suwon fans are shocked by the transfer of "One Club Man."

Choi Joon and Hong Jeong-woon were recruited from Seoul and Daejeon, respectively

Twelve clubs preparing for the K League 1 2024 season are busy to reinforce their weaknesses.

For starters, Jeonbuk Hyundai, which had been on the verge of being demoted in the early 2023 season, has stepped up efforts to strengthen its offense capability by recruiting Thiago 31 and assistant Jeon Byeong-gwan 22 from Daejeon Hana Citizen last year, which scored the most goals 17 goals in the K-League.

Kwon Changhoon, Lee Youngjae, Choi Jun, Hong Jeongwoon
The midfielders have been reinforced by Kwon Chang-hoon 30 and Lee Young-jae 30. Notably, Kwon is an outstanding player who has played in 43 A-match games, including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, recruiting Kwon Chang-hoon left a huge impact. Kwon Chang-hoon, a graduate of Maetan High School, a youth team of Suwon Samsung, was called the "son of Suwon" in Korea, playing only for Suwon. Kwon returned to Suwon after being discharged from the military in June last year but failed to play in any game due to injury, ultimately facing the tragedy of his first relegation.

Fans expected Kwon Chang-hoon to stay on the team and give a boost to Suwon's return to K League 1, but he eventually left for Jeonbuk, which has a tough relationship with Suwon. "After a lot of consideration, I made a really important judgment in my soccer life," Kwon Chang-hoon said. "I feel a lot of responsibility and sorry that I have been supported by Suwon fans throughout my career, and I have not been of any help to the team in times of difficulty."

Ulsan and FC Seoul, which tied for the top scorer 63 goals in the K-League 1, and Daejeon, which is ranking third 56 goals in the last season, focused on defense. Ulsan, which is seeking its third consecutive win in the K-League, has recruited veteran defender Hwang Seok-ho 35 to strengthen its defense. Hwang Seok-ho, who played in the Japanese J-League for all but one year since 2012, was also the starting center back for the 2012 London Olympics, which was led by Ulsan coach Hong Myung-bo. "I want to receive great support from fans from my home country," Hwang said after reuniting with Hong.

Despite their strong firepower, Seoul and Daejeon, which finished their seasons in the Final B, are also keen to recruit defense players. Seoul, where head coach Kim Ki-dong is taking the helm, has recruited Choi Joon 25 who played for the Busan I'Park. Choi, who can play as both left and right wingbacks, has excellent attack sense as he scored the final goal in the semi-finals of the U-20 World Cup in Poland in 2019. "I am joining a competitive team in Asia beyond the K-League," Choi said, vowing to make efforts to become a player worthy of the team's status. Seoul also recruited defensive midfielder Ryu Jae-moon 31, who played for Jeonbuk, to reinforce its midfield. 먹튀검증

Daejeon has hired Hong Jeong-woon 30, a veteran defender who played 163 games in the K-League. After playing for Daegu FC for eight years, Hong also displayed outstanding leadership as he became the youngest captain in Daegu in 2020. "I will definitely lock the rear of Daejeon," Hong said, vowing to put up a good fight.