Jeju SK FC

"Bucheon SK" redirects here. For the club founded by supporters, see Bucheon FC 1995.

Jeju SK FC (Korean: 제주 SK FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in Jeju Province that competes in the K League 1, the top division in South Korea. In the past, the club has been known as the Yukong Elephants, Bucheon SK, and Jeju United.

Jeju SK

Full name	Jeju SK Football Club 제주SK축구단
Founded	1982; 43 years ago (1982) (as Yukong FC)[1]
Ground	Jeju World Cup Stadium
Capacity	29,791
Owner	SK Energy
Chairman	Koo Chang-yong
Manager	Kim Hak-bum
League	K League 1
2024	K League 1, 7th of 12
Website	www.jejuskfc.com
Home colours Away colours

History

The club was founded on 17 December 1982 as Yukong FC, becoming the second professional football club to be established in South Korea.^[2] The club's mascot was an elephant and the team became known as the Yukong Elephants.^[3] It was owned and financially supported by the Sunkyoung Group's subsidiary, Yukong (currently SK Group's "SK Energy"), along with Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi as its franchise. Yukong FC was a founding member of the Korean Super League, South Korea's first professional football league and forerunner to the K League.^[4] Yukong Elephants won the league championship on only one occasion, in 1989.^[5]

When the Super League was established there was no home and away system, but following its implementation in 1987, Yukong FC was initially based within the Seoul Metropolitan Area.^[6] From 1990, the club shared Dongdaemun Stadium in Seoul with Ilhwa Chunma and LG Cheetahs.^[7] In 1992, the three clubs even allowed spectators to use their club memberships to watch each other's home matches.^[8]

As part of the K League's decentralization policy, in 1995 the Seoul government gave an eviction order to the three clubs based in Seoul (Yukong Elephants, LG Cheetahs and Ilhwa Chunma). However, they guaranteed that if clubs built a football-specific stadium in Seoul, they could have a Seoul franchise and return to Seoul.^[8] As a result, the three clubs were forced to move their home base from Seoul to other cities.

In 1996, Yukong moved to the city of Bucheon, a satellite city of Seoul. Mid-way through the 1997 season, the club re-branded itself as Bucheon SK.^[6] Because the city of Bucheon lacked a stadium, they used the Mokdong Stadium in Seoul until 2000. At the start of the 2001 season, the team moved to the 35,545-capacity Bucheon Leports Complex. In February 2006, Bucheon SK announced their move to Jeju without any fore notice, and renamed as Jeju United FC.^[9]

On 3 November 2007, head coach Jung Hae-seong announced his resignation after accepting the position of assistant coach for the South Korea national team. The club stated that they intended to appoint a foreign manager as his replacement. In January 2008, Artur Jorge was appointed as the new head coach. Artur's emphasis on passing play and entertaining football was well received by fans; however, the team finished 10th in the 2008 K League season and remained in the lower mid-table throughout the 2009 K League season. As a result, on 14 October 2009, he announced his resignation before the end of the season, and assistant coach Cho Jin-ho took over as interim manager.^[10] He was replaced shortly afterwards by former under-17 national team coach Park Kyung-hoon.^[11]

The club finished as runners-up in the 2010 season, allowing them to enter the 2011 AFC Champions League, where they were eliminated in the group stage. The club further qualified for the competition in its 2017 and 2018 editions, making it to the knockout stage in the former before being narrowly knocked out by eventual champions Urawa Red Diamonds in a match where three Jeju players were controversially sent off.^[12]

Jeju players face off against rivals Jeonbuk in their runners-up 2010 season

At the beginning of the 2019 season, the team struggled with poor performances. As a result, they parted ways with head coach Jo Sung-hwan, who had led the team for nearly five years, and appointed Choi Yun-kyum as his successor. During the mid-season, the club attempted to turn things around by signing new players such as Yun Il-lok and Choi Kyu-baek, while Yoon Bit-garam returned to the team after completing his military service. However, despite these efforts, the team finished at the bottom of the league standings and was relegated to the second division for the first time since its establishment.^[13]

The club received promotion back to the top flight the following year by finishing first in the 2020 K League 2 season.^[14]

In 2025, the club rebranded as Jeju SK FC, reflecting a stronger commitment from the parent company SK Group.^[15]

Franchise relocation history

Club name	City / Area	Period
Yukong Elephants	Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi	1983[a]
Yukong Elephants	Seoul	1984–1986[a]
Yukong Elephants	Incheon, Gyeonggi	1987–1990
Yukong Elephants	Seoul – Dongdaemun Stadium	1991–1995
Bucheon Yukong Bucheon SK	Seoul – Mokdong Stadium[b]	1996
Bucheon SK	Bucheon – Bucheon Stadium	1997–2005
Jeju United	Jeju  – Jeju World Cup Stadium	2006–2024
Jeju SK		2025–present

1. Between 1983 and 1986, K League didn't have a home and away system.
2. Bucheon SK held all home matches at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul until 2000, because Bucheon Stadium was under construction.

Stadiums and facilities

Main article: Jeju World Cup Stadium

View from the outside of Jeju World Cup Stadium

Jeju SK play their home games at the 29,791 capacity Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo, the second largest city on Jeju Island. The club previously played at Mokdong Stadium in Seoul and Bucheon Stadium in Bucheon.

The club's training ground, the Jeju SK FC Club House, is also located in Seogwipo.^[16]

Club culture

Jeju's mascots include Gam Gyuri, Hallahalbang, and Baeknogi. Among them, Gam Gyuri is the most representative mascot and is known for its strong sense of responsibility, leading the Gam Gyuri family and Jeju SK.^[17]

The club's supporters' group is called Pungbaek (풍백).^[18]

Players

Current squad

As of 22 July 2025^[19]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  KOR Kim Dong-jun 2 DF  KOR Kim Jae-woo 3 DF  KOR Jang Min-gyu 4 DF  KOR Song Ju-hun 5 MF  BRA Italo 6 MF  KOR Kim Jung-min 7 FW  BRA Tiago Alves 8 MF  KOR Lee Chang-min (captain) 9 FW  BRA Yuri 10 MF  KOR Nam Tae-hee 11 FW  BRA Evandro 13 DF  KOR Chung Woon 14 FW  BRA Pedrinho (on loan from Seoul E-Land) 15 FW  BRA Denílson 17 FW  KOR Yu In-soo 18 MF  KOR Oh Jae-hyeok 19 FW  KOR Shin Sang-eun

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 DF  KOR Choi Won-chang 21 GK  KOR An Chan-gi 22 DF  KOR An Tae-hyun 23 DF  KOR Rim Chang-woo 24 FW  KOR Choi Byeong-wook 25 MF  KOR Kim Jae-min 26 DF  KOR Lim Chai-min 27 MF  KOR Kim Jun-ha 28 FW  KOR Kang Min-jae 29 DF  KOR Jo In-jung 30 MF  KOR Kim Jin-ho 31 GK  KOR Cho Sung-bin 33 FW  KOR Ji Sang-wook 37 MF  KOR Kwon Sun-ho 38 DF  KOR Kim Jee-woon 40 DF  KOR Kim Ryun-seong 41 GK  KOR Joo Seung-min

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  KOR Heo Kang-jun (at Daejeon Korail) — DF  KOR Hong Joon-ho (at Chungbuk Cheongju) — DF  KOR Kim Tae-hwan (at Gimcheon Sangmu for military service) — MF  KOR Kang Hyo-on (at Daejeon Korail) — MF  KOR Kim Geon-woong (at Incheon United)

No. Pos. Nation Player — FW  KOR Jegal Jae-min (at Gimpo FC) — FW  KOR Kim Hyeon-woo (at FC Mokpo) — FW  KOR Kim Seung-sub (at Gimcheon Sangmu for military service) — FW  KOR Lee Kun-hee (at Gimcheon Sangmu for military service)

Backroom staff

Coaching staff

• Manager: Kim Hak-bum
• Head coach: Kim Jung-soo
• Goalkeeping coach: Cha Sang-kwang
• Coaches: Lee Sang-ho, Cho Byung-kuk, Jo Jae-cheol
• Fitness coach: Kim Chan-bin
• Analysis coach: Lee Jun-seok

Support staff

• Rehabilitation trainers: Yoon Jae-young, Park Sun-ho, Ha Tae-jun
• Team manager: Kim Dong-geon
• Kit manager: Moon Seong-jun
• Interpreter: Moon Jun-ho
• Head driver: Oh Kyung-myung

Source: Official website^[20]

Honours

• K League 1
  • Winners (1): 1989
  • Runners-up (5): 1984, 1994, 2000, 2010, 2017
• K League 2
  • Winners (1): 2020
• Korean FA Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2004
• Korean League Cup
  • Winners (3): 1994, 1996, 2000s
  • Runners-up (2): 1998, 1998s

Season-by-season records

Domestic record

Season	Division	Tms.	Pos.	FA Cup
1983	1	5	3	—
1984	1	8	2	—
1985	1	8	5	—
1986	1	6	4	—
1987	1	5	3	—
1988	1	5	3	—
1989	1	6	1	—
1990	1	6	4	—
1991	1	6	4	—
1992	1	6	6	—
1993	1	6	5	—
1994	1	7	2	—
1995	1	8	4	—
1996	1	9	4	Semi-final
1997	1	10	10	Quarter-final
1998	1	10	7	Round of 16
1999	1	10	3	Quarter-final
2000	1	10	2	Semi-final
2001	1	10	7	Round of 16
2002	1	10	8	Round of 16
2003	1	12	12	Semi-final
2004	1	13	13	Runners-up
2005	1	13	5	Round of 16
2006	1	14	13	Round of 32
2007	1	14	11	Semi-final
2008	1	14	10	Round of 32
2009	1	15	14	Quarter-final
2010	1	15	2	Semi-final
2011	1	16	9	Round of 16
2012	1	16	6	Semi-final
2013	1	14	9	Semi-final
2014	1	12	5	Round of 32
2015	1	12	6	Quarter-final
2016	1	12	3	Round of 32
2017	1	12	2	Round of 16
2018	1	12	5	Quarter-final
2019	1	12	12	Round of 16
2020	2	10	1	Round of 16
2021	1	12	4	Third round
2022	1	12	5	Round of 16
2023	1	12	9	Semi-final
2024	1	12	7	Semi-final

Key

• Tms. = Number of teams
• Pos. = Position in league

AFC Champions League record

All results (home and away) list Jeju's goal tally first.

Season	Round	Opposition	Home	Away	Agg.
2011	Group E	Tianjin TEDA	0–1	0–3	3rd
		Melbourne Victory	1–1	2–1
		Gamba Osaka	2–1	1–3
2017	Group H	Jiangsu Suning	0–1	2–1	2nd
		Gamba Osaka	2–0	4–1
		Adelaide United	1–3	3–3
	Round of 16	Urawa Red Diamonds	2–0	0–3 (a.e.t.)	2–3
2018	Group G	Guangzhou Evergrande	0–2	3–5	4th
		Cerezo Osaka	0–1	1–2
		Buriram United	0–1	2–0

Managerial history

No.	Name	Start	End	Season(s)	Notes
1	Lee Jong-hwan	1982/04/20	1985/07/21	1983–1985	Resigned in the middle of season.
2	Kim Jung-nam	1985/07/21	1992/05/12	1985–1992	Resigned in the middle of season.
C	Park Young-hwan	1986/??/??	1986/??/??	1986	Kim Jung-nam was called up as a national team manager (1986 FIFA World Cup, 1986 Asian Games).
C	Choi Jong-duk	1988/07/13	1988/09/14	1988	Kim Jung-nam was called up as a national team manager (1988 Summer Olympics).
C	Park Sung-hwa Ham Heung-chul	1992/05/12	1992/12/19	1992
3	Park Sung-hwa	1992/12/20	1994/10/29	1993–1994
C	Cho Yoon-hwan	1994/10/30	1994/12/31	1994
4	Valeri Nepomniachi	1995/01/01	1998/10/31	1995–1998
C	Cho Yoon-hwan	1998/11/01	1998/12/31	1998
5	Cho Yoon-hwan	1999/01/01	2001/08/14	1999–2001	Resigned in the middle of season.
C	Choi Yun-kyum	2001/08/14	2001/08/31	2001
6	Choi Yun-kyum	2001/09/01	2002/09/01	2001–2002	Resigned in the middle of season.
7	Tınaz Tırpan	2002/09/02	2003/05/14	2002–2003	Resigned in the middle of season.
C	Ha Jae-hoon	2003/05/14	2003/07/18	2003
8	Ha Jae-hoon	2003/07/19	2003/12/31	2003
9	Jung Hae-seong	2004/01/01	2007/11/03	2004–2007
10	Arthur Bernardes	2008/01/04	2009/10/14	2008–2009	Resigned in the middle of season.
C	Cho Jin-ho	2009/10/14	2009/10/29	2009
11	Park Kyung-hoon	2009/10/30	2014/12/03	2010–2014
12	Jo Sung-hwan	2014/12/19	2016/10/14	2014–2016
13	Kim In-soo	2016/10/14	2016/12/15	2016	Appointed for the AFC Champions League matches.
14	Jo Sung-hwan	2016/12/30	2019/05/02	2017–2019
15	Choi Yun-kyum	2019/05/03	2019/11/30	2019
16	Nam Ki-il	2019/12/26	2023/09/26	2020–2023
C	Jung Jo-gook	2023/09/26	2023/12/04	2023
17	Kim Hak-bum	2023/12/05	present	2024–present