# 1998 K League

The 1998 K League was the 16th season of South Korean professional football league, and was the first season to have been named the "K League". This season is called the "Renaissance of K League" in South Korea. Despite the poor performance of South Korea team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 1998 season of K League recorded a total of 2 million spectators with young star players' popularity for the first time. The three most popular players of them Ko Jong-soo, Lee Dong-gook, and Ahn Jung-hwan were called the "K League Troika".

## Regular season

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | OW | PW | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 18 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 33 | 22 | +11 | 31 | Qualification for the playoffs final |
| 2 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 18 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 37 | 26 | +11 | 28 | Qualification for the playoffs semi-final |
| 3 | Pohang Steelers | 18 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 34 | 23 | +11 | 28 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
| 4 | Jeonnam Dragons | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 26 | Qualification for the playoffs first round |
| 5 | Busan Daewoo Royals | 18 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 25 | |
| 6 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Dinos | 18 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 30 | 35 | −5 | 25 | |
| 7 | Bucheon SK | 18 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 28 | 32 | −4 | 24 | |
| 8 | Anyang LG Cheetahs | 18 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 28 | 28 | 0 | 23 | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup |
| 9 | Daejeon Citizen | 18 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 20 | 35 | −15 | 14 | |
| 10 | Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma | 18 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 17 | 32 | −15 | 11 | |

## Championship playoffs
### Bracket

| First round | First round | First round | Semi-final | Semi-final | Semi-final | Semi-final | Semi-final | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| | | | 2 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (p) | 2 | 2 | 4 (4) | | | | | |
| | | | 1R | Pohang Steelers | 3 | 1 | 4 (1) | | | | | |
| 3 | Pohang Steelers (p) | 0 (5) | 1R | Pohang Steelers | 3 | 1 | 4 (1) | | | | | |
| 4 | Jeonnam Dragons | 0 (3) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Jeonnam Dragons | 0 (3) | | | | | | SF | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | | | | | | | | 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1 | 0 | 1 |

### Final table

| Pos | Team | Qualification |
| 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings (C) | Qualification for the Asian Club Championship |
| 2 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | |
| 3 | Pohang Steelers | |
| 4 | Jeonnam Dragons | |

## Awards
### Main awards

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Most Valuable Player | Ko Jong-soo | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Top goalscorer | Yoo Sang-chul | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| Top assist provider | Jung Jeong-soo | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| Rookie of the Year | Lee Dong-gook | Pohang Steelers |
| Manager of the Year | Kim Ho | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Best Referee | Han Byung-hwa | — |

### Best XI

| Position | Winner | Club |
| Goalkeeper | Kim Byung-ji | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| Defenders | An Ik-soo | Pohang Steelers |
| Defenders | Maciel | Jeonnam Dragons |
| Defenders | Lee Lim-saeng | Bucheon SK |
| Midfielders | Ko Jong-soo | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Midfielders | Yoo Sang-chul | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| Midfielders | Baek Seung-chul | Pohang Steelers |
| Midfielders | Ahn Jung-hwan | Busan Daewoo Royals |
| Midfielders | Jung Jeong-soo | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| Forwards | Kim Hyun-seok | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| Forwards | Saša Drakulić | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
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