Breaking News: Sangju Sangmu Could Be Forced To Leave K League

Sangju Sangmu could be forced to leave the K League from next season as the result of a discrepancy concerning naming rights involving the Ministry of Defence.
(Picture Credit: Naver Sports)

A conflict between the Ministry of Defence and the K League could force army team Sangju Sangmu to leave the K League from 2018.

As a government institute, the Ministry of Defence cannot be seen to be promoting brands of any sort but it has been argued that, due to the army team being located in Sangju, that the city of Sangju as a brand has been afforded a significant amount of exposure as a result of the football team.

Therefore, Sangju Sangmu Football Club have been told by the Ministry of Defence to remove "Sangju" from their name but K League rules state that teams must have a location included in their name; Daejeon Citizen, Jeonnam Dragons, Jeonbuk Hyundai for example.

An impasse such as this could force Sangju Sangmu Football Club to play further down the pyramid and out of the K League altogether..

Sangmu FC joined the K League in 2003 as Gwangju Sangmu Bulsajo, spending seven years in Gwangju before moving to Sangju in North Gyeongsang Province until present day.

Military Duty

All Korean males from the ages of 18-35 must partake in mandatory military duty but professional footballers can fulfil their military service by playing for either Sangju Sangmu or Asan Mugunghwa for around two years.

Sangju Sangmu are currently battling against relegation in the K League Classic, whilst Asan Mugunghwa are due to be involved in the in the K League Challenge Promotion Playoffs in mid-November.

Source: Naver Sports