(LEAD) 6 new members inducted into K League Hall of Fame
SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- The Korean Professional Football League (K League) Hall of Fame enshrined six new members in a ceremony Tuesday, a class that includes a late World Cup hero who excelled at multiple positions in the domestic league.
The K League's Hall of Fame opened in 2023 in celebration of the league's 40th anniversary. The inaugural class of 2023 had six members -- four in the "Stars" category for former players, one in the "Leaders" category for former coaches and one in the "Honors" category for other contributors to the league.
For this year, the four new inductees in the Stars category are: late K League star Yoo Sang-chul, former league MVP Kim Joo-sung, ex-goalkeeper Kim Byung-ji and former striker Dejan Damjanovic.
Ex-head coach Kim Ho was selected for the Leaders category, and former FIFA Vice President Chung Mong-joon went into the Hall of Fame in the Honors category.
Yoo won the K League scoring title for Ulsan in 1998. During his nine-year K League career, Yoo spent time as a forward, a midfielder and a defender. He and his fellow Hall of Fame inductee, Kim Joo-sung, are the only two players in league history to be named to the season-end Best XI at all three outfield positions.
Yoo also spent time in Japan before wrapping up his playing career with Ulsan in 2006. He was an integral part of South Korea's unlikely run to the semifinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
Following multiple coaching stops in the K League, Yoo died of cancer in 2021 at age 49.
At the ceremony held at Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul, Yoo's son, Sun-woo, accepted the plaque from K League Commissioner Kwon Oh-gap on his father's behalf.
"It's a huge honor for me to standing here for my father. I would like to thank all the fans and people working in football for their love and support for my father," the junior Yoo said. "This award is not just for my father alone. I think this has to be shared with everyone who loved him."
Kim, 59, was one of the most versatile and skilled players in the K League in the 1980s and 1990s. The 1997 league MVP made his debut as a forward, and later thrived as a midfielder and a defender.
Kim said Tuesday's induction ceremony was the most touching awards ceremony he'd ever attended over his football life.
"Now that I am here alongside the greatest names in Korean football, I realize my career in the K League was time well spent," he said. "I think an occasion like this means so much not just to the inductees but also to the rest of the league.
Kim Byung-ji holds the league records with 708 matches played and 229 clean sheets, counting League Cup matches. He even scored three goals in a career that spanned 24 seasons.
The former goalkeeper said as a young player, he admired Kim Joo-sung and never imagined he could enter the Hall of Fame with him.
Kim Byung-ji then joked that Damjanovic should thank him and said, "You scored so many goals against me and that's why you're in the Hall of Fame now."
Damjanovic, a native of Montenegro, is the first foreign-born member of the Hall of Fame. Over his 12-year K League career, Damjanovic won three straight scoring titles from 2011 to 2013 -- still the only player to lead the K League in goals three seasons in a row -- and also captured the league MVP award in 2012. He ranks second on the all-time K League goal scoring list with 198, behind only Lee Dong-gook, a Hall of Fame inductee from 2023.
"When I came here in 2007, I could never imagine that I can achieve all of these records and all of these goals," Damjanovic said after receiving his plaque. "To be here today with all of these legends of Korean football, I just want to say thank you to all of my coaches and my teammates who helped me a lot. The biggest thanks, of course, to my family, who was part of all of this. Thank you for this award and it's really an honor.
Kim Ho, former head coach for Ulsan, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Daejeon, has the third-most coaching wins in league history with 208. He led Suwon Samsung to back-to-back league titles in 1998 and 1999, and also won consecutive Asian Club Championships (currently the Asian Football Confederation Champions League) in 2001 and 2002. Suwon Samsung also won the FA Cup (currently the Korea Cup) title in 2002.
Chung, former president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), was the commissioner of the K League from 1994 to 1998. On his watch, the league added four clubs and secured major sponsorship deals. He is also largely credited with bringing the FIFA World Cup to South Korea in 2002.
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, a player must meet one of the following criteria: 300 matches in the top division, 100 goals scored for an outfield player, 100 clean sheets for a goalkeeper, a league goal scoring title or an assist title, a place on the season-end Best XI Team and a league MVP award.
Coaches were eligible if they had won at least two K League titles, recorded 100 wins and received a Coach of the Year award.
The six-member Hall of Fame Selection Committee picked 20 nominees out of 230 eligible players for the Stars category, and the inductees were chosen following votes by the committee, club officials, media and fans.
The selection committee chose the inductees in the Leaders and Honors categories.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
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