1996 K-League
| Season | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Dates | Regular season: 11 May – 2 November 1996 Championship: 9–16 November 1996 |
| Champions | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (1st title) |
| Asian Club Championship | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i Pohang Atoms |
| Cup Winners' Cup | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Matches played | 144 |
| Goals scored | 448 (3.11 per match) |
| Best Player | Kim Hyun-seok |
| Top goalscorer | Shin Tae-yong (18 goals) |
← 1995 1997 → | |
The 1996 Korean Professional Football League was the 14th season of K League since its establishment in 1983. South Korean government and the Korean Professional Football Federation introduced a decentralization policy to proliferate the popularity of football nationally in preparation for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which they wanted to host, so some clubs located in the capital Seoul (LG Cheetahs, Ilhwa Chunma) moved to other cities according to the new policy in this season.
Regular season
First stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 17 | +15 | 36 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 2 | Pohang Atoms | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 12 | +12 | 35 | Qualification for the Asian Club Championship[a] |
| 3 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 28 | 18 | +10 | 30 | |
| 4 | Bucheon Yukong | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 28 | 29 | −1 | 20 | |
| 5 | Jeonbuk Dinos | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 25 | −4 | 19 | |
| 6 | Jeonnam Dragons | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 29 | −11 | 18 | |
| 7 | Busan Daewoo Royals | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 23 | 28 | −5 | 15 | |
| 8 | Anyang LG Cheetahs | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 21 | 28 | −7 | 15 | |
| 9 | Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 26 | −9 | 11 |
Source: RSSSF
Notes:
Notes:
- ^ Qualified as defending champions of the Asian Club Championship.
Second stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 15 | +14 | 33 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 2 | Bucheon Yukong | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 28 | |
| 3 | Pohang Atoms | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 26 | |
| 4 | Busan Daewoo Royals | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 21 | |
| 5 | Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 35 | 37 | −2 | 21 | |
| 6 | Jeonnam Dragons | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 24 | −2 | 18 | |
| 7 | Jeonbuk Dinos | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 24 | −4 | 18 | |
| 8 | Anyang LG Cheetahs | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 28 | −5 | 17 | |
| 9 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 28 | 37 | −9 | 15 |
Source: RSSSF
Championship playoffs
Summary
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 3–2 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0–1 | 3–1 |
Final table
| Pos | Team | Qualification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (C) | Qualification for the Asian Club Championship | |
| 2 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup[a] |
- ^ The champions of the 1996 Korean FA Cup Pohang Atoms qualified for the Asian Club Championship, so the runners-up of the FA Cup Suwon Samsung Bluewings qualified for the Asian Cup Winners' Cup instead of champions.[1]
Awards
Main awards
Best XI
| Position | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper |  Kim Byung-ji
|
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| Defenders | Yoon Sung-hyo
|
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Kim Joo-sung
|
Busan Daewoo Royals | |
| Huh Ki-tae
|
Bucheon SK | |
| Midfielders | Shin Tae-yong
|
Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma |
 Pavel Badea
|
Suwon Samsung Bluewings | |
| Hong Myung-bo
|
Pohang Atoms | |
| Ha Seok-ju
|
Busan Daewoo Royals | |
| Kim Hyun-seok
|
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | |
| Forwards |  Rade Bogdanović
|
Pohang Atoms |
 Sergey Burdin
|
Bucheon SK |
Source:[2]
See also
References
- ^ 볼만한 축구경기 이달에 집중. Naver (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 2 August 1997. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ a b c 프로축구 MVP 김현석 뽑혀. Naver (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 30 November 1996.
- ^ a b 프로축구 올 정규리그 각종기록 해트트릭 7번"요란한 골잔치". Naver (in Korean). The Dong-a Ilbo. 7 November 1996. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
- ^ [프로축구] 역대 감독상·MVP·신인상 수상자(표) (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. 1 December 2014. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.