Busan IPark


Busan IPark is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan, South Korea that will compete in K League 1 after being promoted from 2019 K League 2. Its current home ground is Busan Gudeok Stadium. The club was one of the original five members of the K League and continuously competed in the first division from 1983 to 2015, when they were relegated. Initially, the club was simply called Daewoo in reference to the company that originally owned and financed it. Today they receive financial backing from the HDC Group.

History

Daewoo Royals
After being at the top of the league for most of the 1983 season, Daewoo finished second in its league debut conceding the title to Hallelujah FC by a single point after a goalless draw against Yukong Elephants in the Masan Series. In its sophomore season, the club turned professional, renamed itself as Daewoo Royals, and clinched its first league title after defeating Yukong Elephants by an aggregate score of 2–1 in the 1984 K-League Championship playoff. The Royals reached the playoff after winning the second round of a league which now included the likes of Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso and Hyundai Horang-i.
Daewoo Royals headed into 1986 K-League season as continental champions after clinching the 1985–86 Asian Club Championship, becoming the first Korean side to accomplish this feat, on January 29, 1986 defeating Al-Ahli 3–1 in extra time in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Despite continental success, the team suffered a dismal season and failed to reach the 1986 K-League Championship playoff after finishing fourth in the first round of the league and third in the second.
The Royals clinched their second league title after finishing at the top of the league with 46 points in the 1987 season. The Royals recaptured the league title in 1991 finishing ten points ahead of their closest competitor that season, Hyundai Horang-i. The Royals' momentum did not last as the club struggled in the ensuing seasons finishing at or near the bottom of the league.
Pusan Daewoo Royals
At the end of 1995 season, K-League sides began the process of "localizing", and the club became known as Pusan Daewoo Royals in reference to its city of residence. In 1997, Pusan Daewoo Royals lifted its fourth league title becoming the first team to have won the K-League Championship four times. The Royals were also the first team to have won the league twice and thrice.
Although the 1998 season marked the emergence of an exciting young forward named Ahn Jung-Hwan, the Royals finished mid-table. The club did however manage to qualify for the 1999 K-League Championship playoffs after placing fourth in regular season. During the playoffs, the Royals managed to knock out Chunnam Dragons and Bucheon SK to secure the right to face defending champions, Suwon Samsung Bluewings, a club which was at the pinnacle of its meteoric rise.
Busan i.cons
As a company-owned club, the Royals' success was invariably linked to the health and success of its owner, Daewoo corporation. In the late 1990s, the company began to suffer from major financial difficulties and parted ways with its once successful sports franchise. IPark Construction, the domestic construction division of Hyundai, secured ownership of the club acquiring all its past history and records. The new owners not only renamed the club as Busan i.cons, but also changed the club's home colors from blue to red and moved it from Busan Gudeok Stadium to Busan Asiad Stadium.
Under new ownership, the club seldom challenged for the title finishing mid-table or toward the bottom of the league in the 2000s. Aside from winning the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history in 2004 under the guidance of Scottish manager Ian Porterfield, the trophy cabinet remained largely empty.
Busan IPark
On the onset of the 2005 season, the owners changed the club's name to Busan I'Park. After winning the first round, Porterfield's Busan side reached the 2005 K-League Championship play-offs, but lost to a traditionally lightweight, but then-inspired Incheon United side led by Chang Woe-ryong.
For the 2008 season, Hwang Sun-hong took over as manager. Although Busan did not win any silverware during his tenure, he did manage to bring in players such as Kim Chang-soo, Jeong Shung-hoon, Yang Dong-hyun and Kim Geun-chul while injecting the team with much needed youth by giving prospects such as Han Sang-woon, Park Hee-do, and Park Jong-woo first team opportunities. In his final season in charge of Busan, Hwang managed to lead his side to the 2010 Korean FA Cup Final.
For the 2011 season, the board appointed An Ik-soo to take over from Hwang Sun-Hong who had left to manage his former club, Pohang Steelers. Under An, Busan managed to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2005 after finishing fifth on the league table in the regular season. An's Busan side was knocked out in the first round of the play-offs by Suwon Samsung Bluewings by a familiar scoreline of 1–0.
In February 2012, an adjustment was made to the club's name by dropping an apostrophe making the official name read Busan IPark.
In 2015, after 9 successive bottom-half finishes, Busan IPark were relegated to the K League Challenge for the first time in their history.
Towards the end of the 2016 season, with an immediate return to the K League Classic looking unlikely, IPark moved back to their smaller, previous home ground, the Gudeok Stadium.
Busan IPark had an impressive 2017 season, although this was overshadowed by the death of then-manager Cho Jin-ho with only two weeks remaining in the season. Busan finished runners up in the K League Challenge to Gyeongnam FC, losing only 6 games all season. With caretaker manager, Lee Seung-yub in charge, Busan defeated Asan Mugunghaw FC, in the playoff semi-final, but lost on penalties after a two-legged final to Sangju Sangmu FC, who became the first K League Classic team to retain their league status via the playoffs. Busan also reached the final of the FA Cup, knocking out higher league opposition in Pohang Steelers, FC Seoul, Jeonnam Dragons and Suwon Bluewings but once again lost over a two-legged final, this time to Ulsan Hyundai.
For the 2018 season in the newly re-branded K League 2, Choi Yun-kyum was appointed manager after previously gaining promotion with Gangwon FC. Busan IPark eventually finished 3rd in the K League 2, but for the second consecutive season lost in the two legged playoff final, this time losing to FC Seoul. Despite again failing in their promotion bid, Busan broke numerous attendance records for the K League 2, including over 10,000 for the home leg of the playoff final. After failing to get promoted, manager Choi Yun-kyum resigned in the off-season and was replaced by Cho Deok-je.
Busan enjoyed a successful 2019 season, with Cho Deok-jae implementing an attacking brand of football that saw Busan finish as the top-scoring team in the division. Cho's side were built around young talents such as Kim Moon-hwan, Lee Dong-jun, and Kim Jin-kyu, as well as national team striker Lee Jung-hyup, veteran midfielder Park Jong-woo, and Brazilian playmaker Rômulo. Busan IPark finished second in the K League 2 behind Gwangju FC, entering the promotion playoffs for the fourth season in a row. After defeating FC Anyang 1-0 at home, Busan faced local rivals Gyeongnam FC in a two-legged final. After a goalless first leg at Busan's Gudeok Stadium, Busan won the away fixture 2-0 to secure their return to Korea's top division for the first time since 2015.

Crests and mascots

Kits

Kit suppliers

;Key

Domestic competitions

League

Professional

Asian

Current squad

Out on loan

Retired number(s)

12 – Club Supporters
16 – Kim Joo-sung, 1987–92, 1994–99

Staff

Coaching Staff
Academy Staff
#NameFromToSeasonWonDrawnLostNotes
Lee Jong-hwan1979/11/221980/??/??
1 Chang Woon-soo1981/01/??1983/10/181983673
2 Cho Yoon-ok1983/10/181984/06/201984413
3 Chang Woon-soo1984/06/211986/12/061984–86391622
4 Lee Cha-man1986/12/071989/12/??1987–89383325
  • Included Kim Hee-tae's records
    • C Kim Hee-tae1989/04/??1989/12/??1989
  • Lee Cha Man was called up
    as a national team assistant manager for
    1990 FIFA World Cup
    Statistics are not separated by K-League
    • 5 Frank Engel1989/12/211990/11/??199012117
    6 Bertalan Bicskei1990/11/171991/11/15199117185Died in 2011
    7 Lee Cha-man1992/01/011992/09/2319924139
    C Cho Kwang-rae1992/09/251992/12/231992172921
    8 Cho Kwang-rae1992/12/241994/06/211993–94172921
    C Chung Hae-won1994/06/211994/09/071994117
    9 Kim Hee-tae1994/09/081995/08/031994–9511613
    C Shin Woo-sung1995/08/041995/12/311995428
    10 Dragoslav Šekularac1996/01/041996/07/1419967610
    C Kim Tae-soo1996/07/151996/12/251996566
    11 Lee Cha-man1996/12/261999/06/091997–99461922
    C Shin Yoon-ki1999/06/101999/09/081999638
    C Chang Woe-ryong1999/09/141999/12/171999805
    12 Kim Ho-gon2000/02/232002/11/052000–02373138
    C Park Kyung-hoon2002/11/052002/11/202002004
    13 Ian Porterfield2002/11/212006/04/032003–06304053
    C Kim Pan-gon2006/04/032006/08/222006839
    14 Andy Egli2006/07/252007/06/302006–0791215
    C Kim Pan-gon2007/06/302007/07/172007000
    15 Park Sung-hwa2007/07/182007/08/032007000
  • Only one FA Cup match
    • C Kim Pan-gon2007/08/032007/12/032007247
    16 Hwang Sun-hong2007/12/042010/11/052008–10332946
    17 An Ik-soo2010/11/102012/12/142011–12322130
    18 Yoon Sung-hyo2012/12/182015/07/132013–15282842
    C Denis Iwamura2015/07/132015/10/072015146
    19 Choi Young-jun2015/10/072016/11/042015–16
    20 Cho Jin-ho2016/12/062017/10/10201717106
  • Died on 10 October 2017.
    • C Lee Seung-yub2017/10/102017/12/032017210
    21 Choi Yun-kyum2017/12/112018/12/11201814148
    22 Cho Deok-je2018/12/18Present2019///