Groundhopper's guide to..... Jeonju World Cup Stadium

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors is the most successful club in the K League era with 9 championships and 5 FA Cups in its 30-year history. The unprecedented success has largely arrived in the most recent 15 years with the club finishing inside the top 2 positions every year since 2013. They play at the Jeonju World Cup stadium. This is our short guide to their stadium.

The exterior of Jeonju World Cup Stadium is decorated with huge banners of the team's players. (Image: instagram.com/groundhopping_korea)

The full name of the club is Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Jeonbuk (North Jeolla) refers to the province where Jeonju city is located and the club is owned by the Hyundai Motor Company. Chung Eui-sun is both the chairman of Hyundai Motors and the football club. Their website address is Hyundai-motosfc.com

Jeonju is the biggest city and provincial capital of North Jeolla, with a population of nearly 700,000 people. It is 100 km north of the slightly larger Gwangju in the neighboring South Jeolla province and approximately 220 km south of Seoul. The stadium has a capacity of 36,000.

Construction on the stadium was completed in time for the 2002 FIFA World Cup when it hosted two group-stage games and another in the last 16 round. More international games were hosted in Jeonju before it was heavily used for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Several members of the Argentina team which won the recent World Cup in Qatar represented their country in Jeonju.

The long walk towards the East Stand. Like most stadiums in Korea, there is an enormous amount of space around the stadium which helps to meet friends, eat and drink pre-game or take some photos. (Image: instagram.com/groundhopping_korea)

Due to Jeonbuk's incredible success over the last decade and a half, very important domestic and continental fixtures have taken place at the stadium. Not only has the club lifted several K League trophies on the field, but it has hosted Korean FA Cup finals and an AFC Champions League decider.

[Read: KLU's season preview for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors]

Location:

Ten stadiums were built for the 2002 World Cup; like many others, Jeonju's is not centrally located or very convenient to get to. The city's KTX station is approximately 10 km east of the stadium and downtown Jeonju is to the south-east. There is no subway system in Jeonju so most fans arrive by car or bus.

There's a 9-hole golf course and a secondary or auxiliary stadium to the south of the World Cup Stadium. There's so much space around the stadium that on game day if the weather is warm, there'll be hundreds of people hanging out in the vicinity, even if they're not going to the match.

Transport Options:

- bus: The KTX station is 10 km away so a bus or taxi is the most convenient way to get to the stadium. The 101 bus begins at the KTX station, makes its way to the stadium via Jeonbuk National University, and then continues on toward the Bus Terminal. This bus tends to be rammed after a game so find alternatives towards Jeonju-cheon and look to change if possible.

- parking: There are thousands of parking spaces around the stadium but for a big game, traffic will be heavy in the area, so arrive early.
- taxi: Taking a taxi is another option but hailing one down after a game is difficult. The roads to and from the stadium are really busy on match day.

Tickets:

- Online: Jeonbuk Motors' tickets are sold on the Ticketlink app and website. There's a good color-coded map showing the various sections divided by block, direction, and price. There is a small discount for booking online but as the games are rarely likely to sell out, you're better off buying on-site if you can't navigate the Korean ticketing apps.

- Ticket booth: There are several places to buy tickets on ground level on the North, South, and West sides of the stadium. Don't climb the steps toward the gates. Queues will be long so arrive early if you want to see the start of the game.

Where to sit:

Jeonju World Cup Stadium is a two-tiered stadium and the upper tiers of each stand have a small block at the front, separated from the remainder of the blocks by the walkways and entrances. The view from here is fantastic. The long stands are on the West and East sides of the stadium. The tunnel, dugouts, VIP boxes, and media seats are in the West Stand. That stand is further divided into regular seating and special seating, such as for families, tables, and couples. Tickets here cost between ₩21,000 - ₩40,000 (bought on-site) depending on where you want to sit.

The view of the West Stand at Jeonju World Cup Stadium. This stand has plenty of VIP boxes, media seats and tables for couples and families. (Image: instagram.com/groundhopping_korea)

There are 25 blocks in the East Stand and 23 are categorized as E Zone. Those tickets are all the same price, irrespective if they're in the upper tier or pitch side by the corner flags (₩16,000 when bought at the stadium). On the halfway line, two center blocks (1D and 1E) are slightly more expensive at ₩18,000.

The East Stand is a nice place to watch a game. There's a good view of the main stand, you can see both screens easily and the opposing fans are making noise to your right and left. (Image: instagram.com/groundhopping_korea)

The Mad Green Boys, Jeonbuk Motors Supporters' Club, sit behind the goals in the North Stand. There is a lot of safe-standing in the lower tier and all tickets here are the same price. ₩16,000.

The North Stand is where Jeonbuk's Supporters' Club cheers on their team. You can stand or sit on the lower tier because of the safe standing seats. (Image: instagram.com/groundhopping_korea)

The South Stand is divided between the away aways (South-west both tiers) and home fans. All tickets are the same price. ₩16,000. If you're looking for more information on where to sit and the different price structures, please consult the club's website.

The South Stand, featuring the away fans' section. (Image: instagram.com/groundhopping_korea)

Food:

 

The Jeonju food trucks. (Image: instagram.com/groundhopping_korea)

There are a dozen food trucks on the South-east corner of the stadium, next to the gates. You can buy chicken, takoyaki, hotdogs, and chicken skewers and bring them to your seat. There are also plenty of convenience stores inside the stadium selling chips, ramen, and, dry fish.

Drink:

On this occasion, I forgot to take pictures of the stores before or during the game, but this one was selling beer, water and snacks throughout the match. (Image: instagram.com/groundhopping_korea)

Cans of beer are sold at the numerous stores inside the stadium. I didn't see staff checking bags when fans were entering the stadium for a recent game. As a result, some supporters were drinking whatever they had bought off-premise. As ever, water, tea and soft drinks are also for sale.

Merchandise:

Near the entrance to the East Stand, there's a big club store that's really busy throughout a game day. (Image: instagram.com/groundhopping_korea)

There is a large(ish) club store outside the stadium on the East side. Fans often queue up for hours after a game to get names and numbers printed on to new jerseys. Inside the stadium, merchandise can also be purchased at small stores.

Post game:

Jeonju is a popular tourist destination for families and couples, mainly due to the impressive Hanok-maeul (traditional village) in the city center. It is extremely busy in spring and fall (reserving a KTX ticket to the city is best done well in advance) when the cherry blossoms appear and the leaves change color. Here you'll find foreigners and Koreans in hanboks and plenty of nice cafes and restaurants.

Jeonju is also famous for bibimbap, the mixed rice with vegetable dish. If you think bibimbap tastes the same everywhere in the country, then, perhaps, this won't appeal to you much.

[Read: Groundhopper's guide to Anyang Stadium]

Finally, if you are planning to visit this stadium or any others in Korea, and haven't already done so, please download the Futbology app. It is a great way to find information about stadiums and keep track of all the teams and grounds you have visited.