The K-League Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held at Ambassador Seoul Pullman in Jung-gu, Seoul at 11 am on the 2nd to mark the 40th anniversary of Korean professional football.
The K-League Hall of Fame, established this year, consists of three categories: players, leaders, and contributors. The first inductees were Choi Soon-ho, Hong Myung-bo, Shin Tae-yong, and Lee Dong-gook in the player category.
The Korea Professional Football Federation plans to select candidates for dedication every two years.
First, Suwon FC general manager Choi Soon-ho, a first-generation inductee, scored 23 goals and 19 assists in 100 K-League games during his active career, and was selected as the 1986 Pohang champion and the 1984 league best 11.
As a member of the national team, he contributed to Korea reaching the World Cup finals after 32 years in 1986, and in the 1986 Mexico World Cup finals, he fired a powerful mid-range shot in the third group match against Italy.
Hong Myung-bo, the second-generation manager of Ulsan Hyundai, made his debut in Pohang in 1992 and swept the league championship, best 11, and MVP award that year.
He scored 14 goals and 8 assists in 156 matches in the K-League, and as a national team member, he is also a shining figure in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup ‘four-legged myth’.
Indonesian national coach Shin Tae-yong, who was selected as the 3rd generation representative, won the K-League 6 times while playing for Seongnam Ilhwa, and recorded 99 goals and 68 assists in the K-League career. In 2003, coach Shin Tae-yong was the first player in the K-League to reach 60 goals and 60 assists.
Former vice president of the Korea Football Association, Lee Dong-guk, a fourth-generation player, appeared in 548 league games and recorded 228 goals and 77 assists, holding records for the most points scored, the most attack points, and the most appearances by a field player in the league. He has also won the K-League 8 times. 크크크벳
In the leadership category, former director Kim Jeong-nam and the contributor category, the late POSCO honorary chairman Park Tae-joon, were each honored with induction into the Hall of Fame.
Former coach Kim Jong-nam led the 1989 Merit and Ulsan championships in 2005, and also served as the head coach of the 1986 Mexico World Cup and 1988 Seoul Olympics as a national team member.
The late Chairman Park Tae-joon is a person who devoted himself to Korean soccer by founding the Pohang Steelworks soccer team in 1973, building Pohang Steel Yard, the first soccer stadium in Korea in 1990, and founding Jeonnam Dragons in 1994.
Prior to the dedication ceremony, people with special ties, such as colleagues, teachers, disciples, and family members, read aloud speeches of recommendation and introduced the inductees, and a special video showing the past of the recipients was also screened.
Former manager Kim Jeong-nam attended instead of his younger brother, Kim Seong-nam, Bucheon FC general manager, and Park Seong-bin, son of the late chairman Park Tae-joon, received the award on behalf of him.
Trophies were presented to the recipients along with certificates of dedication.