The K League Championship was the final competition (playoffs) of the K League season. The K League originally had playoffs after regular seasons, but the name of playoffs was officially decided in 2009.[1][2] This competition was abolished in 2011.
All K League Championship records from 1984 to 1996 are not included in the current K League official statistics.
Champions Runners-up
The winners of two regular stages in four early editions qualified for the two-legged final.
| No. | Season | First stage winners | Second stage winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1984 | Yukong Elephants | Daewoo Royals |
| 2 | 1986 | POSCO Atoms | Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso |
| 3 | 1995 | Ilhwa Chunma | Pohang Atoms |
| 4 | 1996 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| First round | Semi-final | Final | |||||||||||||||||
| Regular second-placed team | |||||||||||||||||||
| First round winners | |||||||||||||||||||
| Regular third-placed team | |||||||||||||||||||
| Regular fourth-placed team | |||||||||||||||||||
| Semi-final winners | |||||||||||||||||||
| Regular first-placed team | |||||||||||||||||||
The top four clubs of the regular league qualified for the championship from 1998 to 2000. The first round was played as a single match, and the semi-final was a two-legged tie. The final also consisted of two matches in 1998, but it changed to best-of-three the next year.
| No. | Season | Regular first place | Regular second place | Regular third place | Regular fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1998 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | Pohang Steelers | Jeonnam Dragons |
| 6 | 1999 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Bucheon SK | Jeonnam Dragons | Busan Daewoo Royals |
| 7 | 2000 | Anyang LG Cheetahs | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Bucheon SK |
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
| First stage winners | |||||||||||
| Overall table winners | |||||||||||
| Semi-final winners | |||||||||||
| Semi-final winners | |||||||||||
| Second stage winners | |||||||||||
| Overall table runners-up | |||||||||||
When the regular league was split into two stages again from 2004 to 2006, the top two clubs in the overall table qualified for the championship in addition to two winners. Each semi-final was a single match, and the final comprised two matches.
| No. | Season | First stage winners | Second stage winners | Top two of the rest | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 2004 | Pohang Steelers | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | Jeonnam Dragons |
| 9 | 2005 | Busan IPark | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Incheon United | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| 10 | 2006 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Pohang Steelers | FC Seoul |
| First round | Second round | Semifinal | Final | |||||||||||||||||
| Regular third-placed team | Regular first-placed team | |||||||||||||||||||
| Regular sixth-placed team | Regular second-placed team | Semi-final winners | ||||||||||||||||||
| First round winners | Second round winners | |||||||||||||||||||
| First round winners | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular fourth-placed team | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular fifth-placed team | ||||||||||||||||||||
The K League Championship increased participating clubs to six since 2007. The winners of regular league directly qualified for the final, and the second-placed team qualified for the semi-final. The other four clubs entered the first round, and the winners of the second round advanced to the semi-final. Each match was played as a single match, excluding the two-legged final.
| No. | Season | Regular first place | Regular second place | Regular third place | Regular fourth place | Regular fifth place | Regular sixth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 2007 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | Gyeongnam FC | Pohang Steelers | Daejeon Citizen |
| 12 | 2008 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | FC Seoul | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Ulsan Hyundai | Pohang Steelers | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| 13 | 2009 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Pohang Steelers | FC Seoul | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Incheon United | Jeonnam Dragons |
| 14 | 2010 | FC Seoul | Jeju United | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Ulsan Hyundai | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | Gyeongnam FC |
| 15 | 2011 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Pohang Steelers | FC Seoul | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Busan IPark | Ulsan Hyundai |
Numbers in yellow background are the numbers of victories, and are not aggregate scores.
| No. | Season | Winners | Agg. | Runners-up | 1st leg | 2nd leg | 3rd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1984 | Daewoo Royals | 2–1 | Yukong Elephants | 1–0 | 1–1 | — |
| 2 | 1986 | POSCO Atoms | 2–1 | Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso | 1–0 | 1–1 | — |
| 3 | 1995 | Ilhwa Chunma | 5–4 | Pohang Atoms | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 (a.e.t.) |
| 4 | 1996 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 3–2 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0–1 | 3–1 | — |
| 5 | 1998 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1–0 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 1–0 | 0–0 | — |
| 6 | 1999 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 2–0 | Busan Daewoo Royals | 2–1 | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | X |
| 7 | 2000 | Anyang LG Cheetahs | 2–0 | Bucheon SK | 4–1 | 1–1 (4–2 p) | X |
| 8 | 2004 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0–0 (4–3 p) | Pohang Steelers | 0–0 | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | — |
| 9 | 2005 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 6–3 | Incheon United | 5–1 | 1–2 | — |
| 10 | 2006 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 3–1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1–0 | 2–1 | — |
| 11 | 2007 | Pohang Steelers | 4–1 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 3–1 | 1–0 | — |
| 12 | 2008 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 3–2 | FC Seoul | 1–1 | 2–1 | — |
| 13 | 2009 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3–1 | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma | 0–0 | 3–1 | — |
| 14 | 2010 | FC Seoul | 4–3 | Jeju United | 2–2 | 2–1 | — |
| 15 | 2011 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 4–2 | Ulsan Hyundai | 2–1 | 2–1 | — |
| Club | Appearances |
|---|---|
| Pohang Steelers | 9 (1986, 1995, 1998, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011) |
| Seongnam FC | 8 (1995, 2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 8 (1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011) |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 8 (1996, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011) |
| FC Seoul | 7 (1986, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 5 (2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) |
| Jeju United | 4 (1984, 1999, 2000, 2010) |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 4 (1998, 1999, 2004, 2009) |
| Busan IPark | 4 (1984, 1999, 2005, 2011) |
| Incheon United | 2 (2004, 2009) |
| Gyeongnam FC | 2 (2007, 2010) |
| Daejeon Citizen | 1 (2007) |
| City/Province | Apps | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
8 |
Pohang Atoms (1995), Pohang Steelers (1998, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011) | |
8 |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings (1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011) | |
8 |
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (1996, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007), Ulsan Hyundai (2008, 2010, 2011) | |
7 |
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) | |
| Seoul | 6 | Ilhwa Chunma (1995) |
| FC Seoul (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) | ||
4 |
Jeonnam Dragons (1998, 1999, 2004, 2009) | |
5 |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) | |
3 |
Busan Daewoo Royals (1999), Busan IPark (2005, 2011) | |
2 |
Bucheon SK (1999, 2000) | |
2 |
Incheon United (2004, 2009) | |
2 |
Gyeongnam FC (2007, 2010) | |
1 |
Anyang LG Cheetahs (2000) | |
1 |
Daejeon Citizen (2007) | |
1 |
Jeju United (2010) |
| Region | Apps | City/Province | Clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gyeonggi region (Seoul Capital Area) |
26 | Suwon (8) | Suwon Samsung Bluewings (1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011) |
| Seongnam (7) | Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (2000, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) | ||
| Seoul (6) | Ilhwa Chunma (1995) | ||
| FC Seoul (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) | |||
| Bucheon (2) | Bucheon SK (1999, 2000) | ||
| Incheon (2) | Incheon United (2004, 2009) | ||
| Anyang (1) | Anyang LG Cheetahs (2000) | ||
| Yeongnam region (Gyeongsang) |
21 | Pohang (8) | Pohang Atoms (1995), Pohang Steelers (1998, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011) |
| Ulsan (8) | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (1996, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2007), Ulsan Hyundai (2008, 2010, 2011) | ||
| Busan (3) | Busan Daewoo Royals (1999), Busan IPark (2005, 2011) | ||
| Gyeongnam (2) | Gyeongnam FC (2007, 2010) | ||
| Honam region (Jeolla) |
9 | Jeonbuk (5) | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2000, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) |
| Jeonnam (4) | Jeonnam Dragons (1998, 1999, 2004, 2009) | ||
| Hoseo region (Chungcheong) |
1
|
Daejeon (1) | Daejeon Citizen (2007) |
| Jeju region | 1
|
Jeju (1) | Jeju United (2010) |