The K League 1 Wrap-Up: Ulsan HD’s Huge Turnaround, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors’ Taste of First-Place, and Pohang Steelers’ Second Away Win | OneFootball

After a fairly standard long weekend of top-flight action, where Friday night saw temporary new league leaders installed before Saturday brought about business as usual, columnist Nathan Sartain returns to discuss all the action from round 15 of the K League 1 season.

With a 0-0 draw against Jeju SK, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors returned to the top of K League 1 for the first timesince November 2021. Yes, it lasted less than 24 hours, but it’s an accomplishment worth praise, and a solid measuring stick of the Green Warriors’ progress under Gus Poyet. For the game itself, this result suits Jeju more, with their sturdy defending earning them a respectable draw, and their overall play improving compared to some of their recent displays. The Tangerines will need some more wins to survive this year, of course, but their last two stalemates have at least provided part of a blueprint to work from.

Moving onto the actual current league leaders, Daejeon Hana Citizen’s 2-1 victory over Daegu FC has allowed them two points of daylight in the title race. The Purples’ showing was composed on the whole, with Choi Geon-ju’s curling finish from outside the box a particular highlight, and the defending in the latter stages assured enough to disallow any sustained pressure from the Sky Blues. Next up for Daejeon in midweek is Pohang Steelers, a side they brushed aside 3-0 in the opening round.

Speaking of Pohang Steelers, as they continue to push for continental qualification, a 2-0 away triumph against FC Anyang will certainly help their cause. Tactically, the Steelers were strong here, testing their opposition’s defence in a range of ways, and looking a consistent threat from deep crosses in particular during the first-half. Then, in the second period, Pohang continued their front-footed approach to strike twice within just over 15 minutes, before going on to effectively manage the game for a fifth clean-sheet of the campaign.

As the weeks progress, more of these kind of performances will stand Pohang in good stead, and at least keep them in contention at the top-end of the table.

Ulsan HD's Dramatic Turnaround

For all of their inconsistencies this season, it’s a fact that Ulsan HD have an abundance of real quality in their squad. And if that reality was starting to look a bit less robust, the Horangi proved it to everyone this past weekend.

Against Gimcheon Sangmu, Ulsan initially looked to be slumping. After Lee Dong-gyeong put the military side ahead with a quick-paced finish from Park Chan-yong’s pinpoint long ball, they looked in control, and Park Soo-il’s contribution just prior to the hour mark certainly looked to cement that fact. However, an Erick penalty in the 70th-minute would prove a catalyst for a fantastic comeback, one where the Brazilian’s headed second brought the Horangi level, and Um Won-sang’s finish to a smartly worked counter-attack gave the reigning champions all three points on a rollercoaster of an evening.

This result keeps Ulsan in the title picture, reintroducing the kind of win-at-all-costs mentality that has been missing for chunks of 2025.

What Else Happened in Round 15?

In a 1-1 draw, neither FC Seoul nor Suwon FC managed to continue any sort of momentum. For Kim Gi-dong’s men, the match followed a fairly familiar formula, one where plenty of opportunities are fashioned, but a clinical edge that would seal the game is lacking. On the other hand, Suwon came from behind to win points for only the second time this season, so there’s a positives to take from that side.

Continuing, Sunday saw Gangwon FC profit from a late penalty to beat Gwangju FC 1-0 on their travels. Truthfully, this was a game of very few highlights, and a 0-0 would have been fair, but for the Griffins that wasn’t to be, and they’ll have to rue a lack of chance creation as they failed to make it back-to-back wins.

And that’s all for now! K League 1 action returns on Tuesday for some midweek games, as the fixtures keep coming thick and fast.