There is no dynasty.’

The Jeonbuk Dynasty, 크크크벳which dominated the K-League 1 (Part 1) around the 2010s, seems unlikely to revive any more.

Jeonbuk even suffered a shock defeat to Gangwon FC, which was lingering in the lower ranks, and recorded their 6th loss of the season. Jeonbuk lost 0-1 to Gangwon in the Hana One Q K League 1 2023 match held at Jeonju World Cup Stadium at 4:30 pm on the 29th. In the 45+5 minute of the second half, Jeonbuk suffered a shock defeat at home by giving Yang Hyeon-jun a decisive blow.

With this, Jeonbuk fell to 9th place with 3 wins, 1 draw and 6 losses with 10 points. On the 23rd, Jeonbuk, who seemed to have survived by winning a thousand gold thanks to the performance of veterans such as Han Kyo-won in the Jeju United expedition, recorded two consecutive losses, following Daejeon Hana Citizen (1-2 loss) on the 26th and this time to Gangwon. That too at home.

On this day, despite playing a leading game against Gangwon, who had been in the relegation zone with Suwon Samsung at the beginning of the season, they failed to score points due to a lack of goal scoring. Jeonbuk more than doubled Gangwon in key figures such as 71% ball possession (Gangwon 29%), 10 shots (Gangwon 4), 5 effective shots (Gangwon 2), and 7 corner kicks (Gangwon 1).

Nevertheless, far from breaking through Gangwon’s goal, he rather conceded a goal to Yang Hyeon-jun. At the end of the second half, defender Hong Jeong-ho accumulated warnings and Kim Mun-hwan was sent off, showing the worst game management.

With this defeat, Jeonbuk caught up with Gangwon. With 2 wins, 4 draws and 4 losses, Gangwon has 10 points in an instant and seems to be quickly getting out of the relegation zone. Incheon United ranked 11th with 2 wins, 3 draws, 4 losses and 9 points, while Suwon Samsung are still at the bottom with a winless season (2 draws and 7 losses).

Jeonbuk’s current ranking is 9th. It is less than half the number of points won by Ulsan Hyundai (7 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, 22 points), the leader of the “Hyundai brothers” who have been called rivals.  

Even last season, Jeonbuk was not in a sharp decline, taking second place after Ulsan. However, this season is completely the opposite. Not only the performance, but also the leadership of coach Kim Sang-sik and the club’s top team is under suspicion.

Jeonbuk has long reigned as the strongest player in the first division around the 2010s. Along with Seongnam Ilhwa in the past, it was one of the strongest teams in K-League history. From 2009 to 2021, it was natural because they recorded 9 league championships, including 5 consecutive losses. From 2009 to last season, Jeonbuk has never been outside of third place. 

That dynasty is rapidly declining. The margin of victory between the mid-table teams is not yet large, but the atmosphere is definitely moving away from the lead. Jeonbuk, a renowned traditional player, must deal with the crisis so that the K-League’s level and box office gain momentum. Even if the seat of the throne is replaced by the seat of the new crown, it is not good for the development of the league as a whole that the famous house, which was one of the pillars of the K-League crowd, declines so quickly.