# 2018 K League 1

The 2018 K League 1 was the 36th season of the top division of professional football in South Korea since its establishment in 1983, and the sixth season of the K League 1, former K League Classic. The K League Classic was changed its name to "K League 1" in this season. As the 2018 FIFA World Cup start on 14 June, the last round before stoppage will be held on 19–20 May. The league will resume games on 7 July.

## Teams
### General information

| Club | City/Province | Manager | Owner(s) | Other sponsor(s) |
| Daegu FC | Daegu | Andre | Daegu Government | |
| Gangwon FC | Gangwon | Kim Byung-soo | Gangwon Provincial Government | |
| Gyeongnam FC | Gyeongnam | Kim Jong-boo | Gyeongnam Provincial Government | |
| Incheon United | Incheon | Jørn Andersen | Incheon Government | Shinhan Bank Incheon International Airport |
| Jeju United | Jeju | Jo Sung-hwan | SK Energy | |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Jeonbuk | Choi Kang-hee | Hyundai Motor Company | |
| Jeonnam Dragons | Jeonnam | Kim In-wan (caretaker) | POSCO | |
| Pohang Steelers | Pohang, Gyeongbuk | Choi Soon-ho | POSCO | |
| Sangju Sangmu | Sangju, Gyeongbuk | Kim Tae-wan | Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps | |
| FC Seoul | Seoul | Choi Yong-soo | GS Group | |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Suwon, Gyeonggi | Seo Jung-won | Cheil Worldwide | Samsung Electronics Maeil Dairies Industry |
| Ulsan Hyundai | Ulsan | Kim Do-hoon | Hyundai Heavy Industries | |

### Stadiums

| Daegu FC | Gangwon FC | Gyeongnam FC | Incheon United | Jeju United | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Daegu Stadium | Chuncheon Songam Leports Town | Changwon Football Center | Incheon Football Stadium | Jeju World Cup Stadium | Jeonju World Cup Stadium |
| Capacity: 66,422 | Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 20,245 | Capacity: 20,891 | Capacity: 35,657 | Capacity: 42,477 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | Pohang Steelers | Sangju Sangmu | FC Seoul | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Ulsan Hyundai |
| Gwangyang Football Stadium | Pohang Steel Yard | Sangju Civic Stadium | Seoul World Cup Stadium | Suwon World Cup Stadium | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium |
| Capacity: 13,496 | Capacity: 17,443 | Capacity: 15,042 | Capacity: 66,704 | Capacity: 44,031 | Capacity: 44,102 |

### Foreign players

Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries. A team could use four foreign players on the field each game including a least one player from the AFC confederation. Players name in bold are registered during the mid-season transfer window.
    As of 26 May 2018
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | AFC player | Former players |
| Daegu FC | Césinha | Edgar Silva | Zé Roberto | Tsubasa Nishi | Caion Jean Carlos |
| Gangwon FC | Diego Maurício | Valentinos Sielis | Uroš Đerić | Dylan McGowan | |
| Gyeongnam FC | Marcão | Negueba | Paulinho | Takahiro Kunimoto | Ivan Herceg |
| Incheon United | Gordan Bunoza | Elías Aguilar | Stefan Mugoša | Kwabena Appiah | |
| Jeju United | Magno Cruz | Roberson | Tiago Marques | Aleksandar Jovanović | |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Adriano Michael Jackson | Ricardo Lopes | Tiago Alves | | |
| Jeonnam Dragons | Wanderson Carvalho | Wanderson Macedo | Vedran Jugović | James Donachie | Tomislav Mrčela |
| Pohang Steelers | Alemão | Jucimar Teixeira | Léo Gamalho | Connor Chapman | Getterson |
| FC Seoul | Anderson Lopes | Evandro Paulista | Bojan Matić | | Ivan Kovačec |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Elvis Sarić | Waguininho | Dejan Damjanović | | Matthew Jurman Cristovam |
| Ulsan Hyundai | Richard Windbichler | Júnior Negrão | Mix Diskerud | Sergio Escudero | Mislav Oršić Yohei Toyoda |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (C) | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 75 | 31 | +44 | 86 | Qualification for Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Gyeongnam FC | 38 | 18 | 11 | 9 | 59 | 44 | +15 | 65 | Qualification for Champions League group stage |
| 3 | Ulsan Hyundai | 38 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 61 | 46 | +15 | 63 | Qualification for Champions League play-off round |
| 4 | Pohang Steelers | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 47 | 48 | −1 | 54 | |
| 5 | Jeju United | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 54 | |
| 6 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 53 | 54 | −1 | 50 | |
| 7 | Daegu FC | 38 | 14 | 8 | 16 | 47 | 56 | −9 | 50 | Qualification for Champions League group stage |
| 8 | Gangwon FC | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 56 | 60 | −4 | 46 | |
| 9 | Incheon United | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 55 | 69 | −14 | 42 | |
| 10 | Sangju Sangmu | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 41 | 52 | −11 | 40 | |
| 11 | FC Seoul (O) | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 40 | 48 | −8 | 40 | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Jeonnam Dragons (R) | 38 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 43 | 69 | −26 | 32 | Relegation to K League 2 |
* ↑ Qualified as champions of FA Cup.

## Positions by matchday

Leaders  Qualification for Champions League group stage  Qualification for Champions League play-off round  Qualification for relegation play-offs  Relegation to K League 2

### Round 1–33

| 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 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 9 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Pohang Steelers | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Jeju United | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| Gangwon FC | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Daegu FC | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| FC Seoul | 6 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 4 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Incheon United | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |

### Round 34–38

| Team ╲ Round | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Pohang Steelers | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jeju United | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Daegu FC | 7 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Gangwon FC | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Incheon United | 12 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 9 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| FC Seoul | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |

## Results
### Matches 1–22

Teams play each other twice, once at home, once away.
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GNM | ICU | JJU | JHM | JND | PHS | SJS | SEO | SSB | USH |
| Daegu FC | — | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| Gangwon FC | 0–3 | — | 1–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–3 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–4 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Incheon United | 0–0 | 3–3 | 2–3 | — | 1–2 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 |
| Jeju United | 1–2 | 3–5 | 0–0 | 4–2 | — | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 1–1 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–0 | — | 2–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 |
| Pohang Steelers | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–3 |
| FC Seoul | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 5–2 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — |

### Matches 23–33

Teams play every other team once (either at home or away).
| Home \ Away | DGU | GWN | GNM | ICU | JJU | JHM | JND | PHS | SJS | SEO | SSB | USH |
| Daegu FC | — | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — | — | 4–2 | 0–2 |
| Gangwon FC | — | — | — | 7–0 | — | — | — | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | — |
| Gyeongnam FC | — | 2–1 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–2 | — | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | — | 3–3 |
| Incheon United | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | — | 3–1 | — | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 3–2 |
| Jeju United | 2–3 | 2–2 | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | — |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–1 | 3–2 | — | 3–2 | 4–0 | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Jeonnam Dragons | — | 0–1 | 3–3 | — | — | — | — | 3–2 | — | 1–0 | 6–4 | 1–0 |
| Pohang Steelers | 2–1 | — | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 5–2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sangju Sangmu | 2–5 | — | — | — | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | — | — | 1–2 | — |
| FC Seoul | 0–2 | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | — | 0–1 | 2–2 | — | — | — |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | — | 1–2 | — | 2–2 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | — | 2–0 | — | — | 3–2 | 2–2 | — | 2–0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | — | — |

### Matches 34–38

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.

## Relegation play-offs

The promotion-relegation play-offs were held between the winners of the 2018 K League 2 play-offs and the 11th-placed club of the 2018 K League 1. The winners on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the 2019 K League 1.
FC Seoul won 4–2 on aggregate and therefore both clubs remain in their respective leagues.

## Player statistics
### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Marcão | Gyeongnam FC | 26 |
| 2 | Uroš Đerić | Gangwon FC | 24 |
| 3 | Júnior Negrão | Ulsan Hyundai | 22 |
| 4 | Stefan Mugoša | Incheon United | 19 |
| 5 | Moon Seon-min | Incheon United | 14 |
| 6 | Ricardo Lopes | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 13 |
| 6 | Dejan Damjanović | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 13 |
| 6 | Lee Dong-gook | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 13 |
| 9 | Kim Shin-wook | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 11 |
| 10 | Heo Yong-joon | Jeonnam Dragons | 9 |
Source:

### Top assist providers

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| 1 | Cesinha | Daegu FC | 11 |
| 2 | Elías Aguilar | Incheon United | 10 |
| 3 | Lee Yong | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 9 |
| 4 | Hong Chul | Sangju Sangmu Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 8 |
| 5 | Han Seung-gyu | Ulsan Hyundai | 7 |
| 5 | Negueba | Gyeongnam FC | 7 |
Source:

## Awards
### Main awards

The 2018 K League Awards was held on 3 December 2018.
| Award | Winner | Club |
| Most Valuable Player | Marcão | Gyeongnam FC |
| Top goalscorer | Marcão | Gyeongnam FC |
| Top assist provider | Cesinha | Daegu FC |
| Young Player of the Year | Han Seung-gyu | Ulsan Hyundai |
| Manager of the Year | Choi Kang-hee | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
Source:

### Best XI

| Position | Winner | Club |
| Goalkeeper | Jo Hyeon-woo | Daegu FC |
| Defenders | Hong Chul | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Defenders | Kim Min-jae | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Defenders | Richard Windbichler | Ulsan Hyundai |
| Defenders | Lee Yong | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Midfielders | Negueba | Gyeongnam FC |
| Midfielders | Choi Young-jun | Gyeongnam FC |
| Midfielders | Elías Aguilar | Incheon United |
| Midfielders | Ricardo Lopes | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Forwards | Marcão | Gyeongnam FC |
| Forwards | Júnior Negrão | Ulsan Hyundai |
Source:

### Player of the Round

| Round | Winner | Club |
| 1 | Lee Dong-gook | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 2 | Moon Seon-min | Incheon United |
| 3 | Kim Min-jae | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 4 | Marcão | Gyeongnam FC |
| 5 | Stefan Mugoša | Incheon United |
| 6 | Kim Shin-wook | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 7 | Lee Dong-gook | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 8 | Uroš Đerić | Gangwon FC |
| 9 | Lee Ki-je | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| 10 | Kwon Soon-hyung | Jeju United |
| 11 | Uroš Đerić | Gangwon FC |
| 12 | Anderson Lopes | FC Seoul |
| 13 | Kim Seung-dae | Pohang Steelers |
| 14 | Lim Sun-young | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 15 | Ricardo Lopes | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 16 | Hong Jeong-woon | Daegu FC |
| 17 | Ricardo Lopes | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 18 | Yeom Ki-hun | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| 19 | Uroš Đerić | Gangwon FC |
| Round | Winner | Club |
| 20 | Marcão | Gyeongnam FC |
| 21 | Kim Dae-won | Daegu FC |
| 22 | Tiago Alves | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 23 | Lee Seok-hyun | Pohang Steelers |
| 24 | Uroš Đerić | Gangwon FC |
| 25 | Moon Seon-min | Incheon United |
| 26 | Júnior Negrão | Ulsan Hyundai |
| 27 | Cesinha | Daegu FC |
| 28 | Han Kyo-won | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 29 | Edgar Silva | Daegu FC |
| 30 | Kim Do-hyeong | Pohang Steelers |
| 31 | Lee Jin-hyun | Pohang Steelers |
| 32 | Kim In-sung | Ulsan Hyundai |
| 33 | Lee Dong-gook | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 34 | Ricardo Lopes | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 35 | Stefan Mugoša | Incheon United |
| 36 | Dejan Damjanović | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| 37 | Lee Chang-keun | Jeju United |
| 38 | Yoon Bit-garam | Sangju Sangmu |

### Manager of the Month

| Month | Manager | Club | Division |
| March | Jung Gab-suk | Bucheon FC 1995 | K League 2 |
| April | Choi Kang-hee | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | K League 1 |
| May | Nam Ki-il | Seongnam FC | K League 2 |
| July | Kim Jong-boo | Gyeongnam FC | K League 1 |
| August | Ko Jong-soo | Daejeon Citizen | K League 2 |
| September | Ko Jong-soo | Daejeon Citizen | K League 2 |
| October | Jo Sung-hwan | Jeju United | K League 1 |

## Attendance

Attendants who entered with free ticket are not counted.
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
| 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 226,224 | 19,108 | 5,005 | 11,907 | +1.9%$^†$ |
| 2 | FC Seoul | 219,665 | 30,122 | 4,714 | 11,561 | −29.1%$^†$ |
| 3 | Ulsan Hyundai | 142,944 | 14,228 | 1,059 | 7,523 | −11.1%$^†$ |
| 4 | Pohang Steelers | 140,668 | 15,393 | 3,073 | 7,404 | −11.6%$^†$ |
| 5 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 114,943 | 13,853 | 2,940 | 6,709 | −23.6%$^†$ |
| 6 | Incheon United | 84,151 | 7,282 | 1,402 | 4,429 | −25.3%$^†$ |
| 7 | Daegu FC | 66,837 | 13,351 | 477 | 3,518 | +5.3%$^†$ |
| 8 | Jeonnam Dragons | 62,615 | 11,036 | 1,830 | 3,296 | −19.8%$^†$ |
| 9 | Gyeongnam FC | 62,615 | 13,082 | 932 | 3,170 | +32.3%$^†$ |
| 10 | Jeju United | 60,033 | 8,354 | 1,215 | 3,160 | −22.1%$^†$ |
| 11 | Gangwon FC | 25,765 | 4,530 | 569 | 1,356 | −41.2%$^†$ |
| 12 | Sangju Sangmu | 25,050 | 2,317 | 290 | 1,318 | −19.9%$^†$ |
| | League total | 1,241,667 | 30,122 | 290 | 5,445 | −16.3%$^†$ |
Updated to games played on 7 December 2018 Source: K League Notes: $^†$ Teams that played previous season in K League Challenge.