# 2006 K League

The 2006 K League was the 24th season of the K League, which kicked off on March 12. The format of the regular season and playoffs was the same as the one used in the 2005 season. It took a break for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in June and July. The playoff games were held in November.
SK Group, the owners of Bucheon SK, moved their club to Jeju, and renamed the club Jeju United. The club was based in the Jeju World Cup Stadium of Seogwipo. Gyeongnam FC joined the K League, increasing the number of clubs to fourteen.

## Teams
### Foreign players

| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Former players |
| Busan IPark | Luciano | Popó | Somália | Gefferson |
| Jeonnam Dragons | Sandro Hiroshi | Selmir | | Adrian Neaga |
| Daegu FC | Eduardo Marques | Gabriel Lima | | |
| Daejeon Citizen | Adriano Chuva | Denílson | Róbson | Eduardo Rato Régis Pitbull |
| FC Seoul | Adilson | Ricardo Nascimento | | |
| Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo | | | | |
| Gyeongnam FC | Harry Castillo | Rogério Pinheiro | | |
| Incheon United | Dženan Radončić | Blazhe Ilijoski | Dragan Mladenović | Selmir Jasmin Agić |
| Jeju United | Nikola Vasiljević | Irineu | Marquinhos | |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Raphael Botti | Zé Carlos | | Milton Rodríguez |
| Pohang Steelers | Carlos Frontini | André Luiz Tavares | Luciano Henrique | |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Mota | Adrian Neaga | | Dudu Jefferson Feijão |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Itamar | Mato Neretljak | Juan Manuel Olivera | Nádson Denis Laktionov |
| Ulsan Hyundai | Leandrão | Leandro Machado | Vinícius | Zé Carlos |

## Regular season
### First stage
#### League table

The first place team qualified for the championship playoffs.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 32 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 2 | Pohang Steelers | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 15 | +6 | 22 | |
| 3 | Daejeon Citizen | 13 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 19 | |
| 4 | FC Seoul | 13 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 16 | |
| 5 | Jeonnam Dragons | 13 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 16 | |
| 6 | Busan IPark | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 24 | 25 | −1 | 16 | |
| 7 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 13 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 14 | −1 | 16 | |
| 8 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 13 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 16 | |
| 9 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 13 | −4 | 15 | |
| 10 | Incheon United | 13 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 13 | −2 | 14 | |
| 11 | Daegu FC | 13 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 16 | −2 | 13 | |
| 12 | Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo | 13 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 13 | −3 | 13 | |
| 13 | Gyeongnam FC | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 15 | −5 | 13 | |
| 14 | Jeju United | 13 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 14 | −6 | 9 | |

#### Results

| Home \ Away | BIP | JND | DGU | DJC | SEO | GWJ | GNM | ICU | JJU | JHM | PHS | SIC | SSB | USH |
| Busan IPark | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | — | — | 1–1 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | 3–0 | — | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 |
| Daegu FC | 4–4 | 2–2 | — | 1–1 | — | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 2–2 | 0–1 | — | — | — | — |
| Daejeon Citizen | 1–0 | 2–0 | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| FC Seoul | 5–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | — | — | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | — |
| Gwangju Sangmu | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–2 | — | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | 0–3 | — | 0–0 | — |
| Gyeongnam FC | — | — | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | — | 0–0 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — |
| Incheon United | — | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–1 | 3–1 | — | 0–0 | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | — | — |
| Jeju United | — | 2–2 | — | 0–1 | 0–3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 1–1 |
| Pohang Steelers | — | — | 0–0 | 5–4 | 0–1 | — | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | — | — | — | 0–0 |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 4–3 | — | 2–1 | — | 2–0 | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | 2–1 | — | 0–1 | — |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1–4 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | 1–2 | — | — | — |
| Ulsan Hyundai | — | — | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | — | — | — | 1–3 | 1–2 | — |

### Second stage
#### League table

The first place team qualified for the championship playoffs.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 9 | +9 | 27 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 2 | Pohang Steelers | 13 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 13 | +8 | 25 | |
| 3 | FC Seoul | 13 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 18 | 12 | +6 | 23 | |
| 4 | Daegu FC | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 14 | +4 | 21 | |
| 5 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 13 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 20 | |
| 6 | Incheon United | 13 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 14 | −1 | 19 | |
| 7 | Jeonnam Dragons | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 18 | |
| 8 | Busan IPark | 13 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 17 | −1 | 18 | |
| 9 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 16 | +5 | 17 | |
| 10 | Jeju United | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 15 | 16 | −1 | 16 | |
| 11 | Gyeongnam FC | 13 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 20 | −8 | 13 | |
| 12 | Daejeon Citizen | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 22 | −7 | 12 | |
| 13 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 13 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 20 | −9 | 10 | |
| 14 | Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo | 13 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 16 | −9 | 10 | |

#### Results

| Home \ Away | BIP | JND | DGU | DJC | SEO | GWJ | GNM | ICU | JJU | JHM | PHS | SIC | SSB | USH |
| Busan IPark | — | — | 1–3 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 0–2 | 0–2 | — |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 1–3 | — | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | — | — | 2–1 | — | — | — | 1–0 | — |
| Daegu FC | — | — | — | — | 2–0 | — | — | 3–2 | — | — | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 3–1 |
| Daejeon Citizen | — | — | 0–1 | — | — | 3–1 | 3–1 | — | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | — | — | — |
| FC Seoul | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | — | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Gwangju Sangmu | — | — | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | — | 1–0 | — | 0–0 |
| Gyeongnam FC | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | — | 3–0 | — | — | — | 0–1 |
| Incheon United | 0–0 | 0–2 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–2 | 1–0 |
| Jeju United | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | — | — | — |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | — | 1–2 | — | — | 0–1 | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | — |
| Pohang Steelers | 4–1 | 2–1 | — | — | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | 3–2 | 2–0 | — |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | — | 0–0 | — | 4–0 | — | — | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 3–3 | — | — | — | 0–1 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | — | — | 3–0 | — | 1–0 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 3–1 | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | — | — | — |

### Overall table

The top two teams in the overall table qualified for the championship playoffs.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 42 | 25 | +17 | 49 | First stage winners |
| 2 | Pohang Steelers | 26 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 42 | 28 | +14 | 47 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 3 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 26 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 29 | 22 | +7 | 43 | Second stage winners |
| 4 | FC Seoul | 26 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 31 | 22 | +9 | 39 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 5 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 26 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 21 | 22 | −1 | 35 | |
| 6 | Jeonnam Dragons | 26 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 28 | 25 | +3 | 34 | Qualification for the Champions League |
| 7 | Daegu FC | 26 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 32 | 30 | +2 | 34 | |
| 8 | Busan IPark | 26 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 40 | 42 | −2 | 34 | |
| 9 | Incheon United | 26 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 24 | 27 | −3 | 33 | |
| 10 | Daejeon Citizen | 26 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 28 | 32 | −4 | 31 | |
| 11 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 26 | 5 | 11 | 10 | 24 | 34 | −10 | 26 | Qualification for the Champions League |
| 12 | Gyeongnam FC | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 22 | 35 | −13 | 26 | |
| 13 | Jeju United | 26 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 25 | |
| 14 | Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo | 26 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 17 | 29 | −12 | 23 | |
* ↑ Qualified as champions of the FA Cup.
* ↑ Qualified as defending champions of the Champions League.

## Championship playoffs
### Bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final | Final | Final |
| Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 1 | | | | | |
| FC Seoul | FC Seoul | 0 | | | | | |
| FC Seoul | FC Seoul | 0 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| | | | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pohang Steelers | Pohang Steelers | 0 | | | | | |

### Final table

| Pos | Team | Qualification |
| 1 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (C) | Qualification for the Champions League |
| 2 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | |
| 3 | Pohang Steelers | |
| 4 | FC Seoul | |

## Top scorers

This list includes goals of the championship playoffs.
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals | Apps |
| 1 | Woo Sung-yong | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 16 | 28 |
| 2 | Popo | Busan IPark | 13 | 24 |
| 3 | Kim Eun-jung | FC Seoul | 9 | 25 |
| 4 | Ko Ki-gu | Pohang Steelers | 8 | 22 |
| 5 | Lee Dong-gook | Pohang Steelers | 7 | 10 |
| 5 | Somália | Busan IPark | 7 | 16 |
| 5 | Denilson | Daejeon Citizen | 7 | 18 |
| 5 | Mota | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 7 | 19 |
| 5 | Selmir | Jeonnam Dragons | 7 | 20 |
| 5 | Itamar | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 7 | 25 |
| 5 | Park Chu-young | FC Seoul | 7 | 26 |

## Awards
### Main awards

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Most Valuable Player | Kim Do-heon | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
| Top goalscorer | Woo Sung-yong | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
| Top assist provider | Adriano Chuva | Daejeon Citizen |
| Rookie of the Year | Yeom Ki-hun | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Manager of the Year | Kim Hak-bum | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
| Special Award | Kim Byung-ji | FC Seoul |
| Special Award | Choi Eun-sung | Daejeon Citizen |
| Special Award | Lee Jung-rae | Gyeongnam FC |
| Best Referee | Lee Young-chul | — |
| Best Assistant Referee | Ahn Sang-gi | — |

### Best XI

| Position | Winner | Club |
| Goalkeeper | Park Ho-jin | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Defenders | Jang Hak-young | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
| Defenders | Mato Neretljak | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Defenders | Choi Jin-cheul | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Defenders | Kim Young-chul | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
| Midfielders | Kim Do-heon | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
| Midfielders | Lee Kwan-woo | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Midfielders | Baek Ji-hoon | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Midfielders | Popó | Busan IPark |
| Forwards | Woo Sung-yong | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma |
| Forwards | Kim Eun-jung | FC Seoul |
Source: