Who are the K League 1 starting goalkeepers in 2025?

Having a trusted goalkeeper as a last line of defence makes all the difference. In K League, with goals scored the first tiebreaker and teams seemingly intent on simply trying to outscore each other, having a rock between the sticks becomes all the more important. But which of the current K League 1 custodians are likely to start? Who are the guaranteed starts? K League United has had a look...

Guaranteed Starters

For most K League 1 goalkeepers, their spot as number one is not under any immediate threat, such is the level of their importance to the team. Lee Chang-geun, for example, was Daejeon's player of the year last year for the second season in a row, and Jo Hyeon-woo of Ulsan was named K League 1 MVP, the first time since 2009 that a goalkeeper had won the award.

Gwangju's Kim Kyeong-min is another, and his form over the last two seasons even earned him a call-up to the South Korean national team. FC Seoul's Kang Hyun-mu came in mid-season in 2024 and made it clear immediately that the team had been missing a reliable and experienced goalkeeper.

The developing

For others, the situation is a little different and is perhaps more to do with there being a lack of competition. Jeju's Kim Dong-jun for example, who despite having a howler in his locker from time to time, can produce good saves. Even after errors last year, Kim Hak-bum stuck with him. An Chan-gi is the backup and featured a few times last year, but when fit, Kim Dong-jun was picked between the sticks.

Lee Gwang-yeon at Gangwon is another example. He lost his place briefly at the start of last year and was replaced by Park Chang-hyo, whom the Bears had brought in from Gimpo FC over the winter. But Lee won his place back and began to perform well enough to keep his place.

Song Bum-keun of Jeonbuk will be seen as a guaranteed starter. Song returned from Shonan Bellmare in Japan as a replacement for MLS-bound Kim Jun-hong. He'll be pushed by Kim Jeong-hoon who has shown himself to be a capable and reliable goalkeeper but for one reason or another, fell down the pecking order at Jeonbuk last term. Song being brought back to the club having not featured too much in Japan towards the end of his spell across the East Sea suggests he'll be number one.

At Suwon FC, Ahn Jun-soo delaying his enlistment means that the 26-year-old is set to remain as the number one goalkeeper. Jeong Min-ki has joined J1 League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima on a one-year loan deal, Park Bae-jong has retired, and Noh Dong-geon has joined Seoul E-Land to clear the way for prospect Hwang Jae-yoon to be number two.

Lee Chang-geun, Daejeon Hana Citizen

Jo Hyeon-woo, Ulsan HD
Kim Dong-jun, Jeju SK

Kim Kyeong-min, Gwangju FC

Kang Hyun-mu, FC Seoul

Song Bum-keun, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Lee Gwang-yeon, Gangwon FC
Ahn Jun-soo, Suwon nFC

Likely, but not certain

For a few of K League 1's other custodians, their place in goal is a bit less of a guarantee. Kim Dong-heon, for instance, at Gimcheon ended last season as first choice but he's due to return to Incheon United in June. Sangmu team managers, including Chung Jung-yong, have been known to phase players out in order to help the new recruits who'll be there for the whole season get themselves settled. Kim Dong-heon will most likely start the season as first choice but might find himself out of the side once June nears, particularly with the very capable Ahn Jun-soo joining from Suwon FC.

Staying in North Gyeongsang but moving towards the coast at Pohang, the Steelers have two goalkeepers who could be number one but Yun Pyung-guk's run in the team from Round 31 right up until the Korea Cup final, suggests that Yun could be manager Park Tae-ha's number one. Yun also recently penned a new contract.

The third and final goalkeeper in this 'likely, but not certain' category is FC Anyang's Kim Da-sol. At 36 years old, he is one of the oldest shot-stoppers in K League 1 but was named in the K League 2 Best XI last season and played 35 of Anyang's 39 league matches. His main competition is Hwang Byung-keun, the former Jeonbuk goalkeeper who has been signed this winter from Busan. Hwang is still only 30 and has had 11 seasons in professional football, but has only amassed 42 K League appearances. A total of nine for Busan in 2022 remains the most he's ever made in a single season. Hwang is most likely there as back-up but with Anyang already having Lee Yun-oh as back-up, his arrival raises question marks of Kim Da-sol.

Kim Dong-heon, Gimcheon Sangmu

Yun Pyung-guk, Pohang Steelers

Kim Da-sol, FC Anyang

50/50

That just leaves Daegu FC. Neither Oh Seung-hoon nor Choi Young-eun were able to nail down a regular starting berth for the Sky Blues last year, or the year before for that matter. Daegu's need for a goalkeeper has been evident for a few years but with few options out there, CEO Cho Kwang-rae has seemingly opted to stick with Oh and Choi. Oh will probably start the season as first choice, as he often has since joining Daegu, but is a goalkeeper who's had to share the gloves at Forest Arena.

Who were the best goalkeepers in 2024?

From a statistical point of view, Jo Hyeon-woo made the most saves with 120, followed by Lee Chang-geun with 119. But when it came to the accuracy of saves with reflexes, Lee Gwang-yeon was the best at exactly 70%, followed by Kang Hyun-mu at 68.89%. When it came to prevented goals, Wyscout ranked Lee Chang-geun top with 4.83, followed by Kim Dong-heon at 4.54, then Jo Hyeon-woo at 3.51.

Total Saves

Jo Hyeon-woo, Ulsan HD (120)
Lee Chang-geun, Daejeon Hana Citizen (119)
Kim Dong-jun, Jeju SK (106)
Kim Kyeong-min, Gwangju FC (99)
Oh Seung-hoon, Daegu FC (98)

With Reflexes % Accurate

Lee Gwang-yeon, Gangwon FC (70%)
Kang Hyun-mu, FC Seoul/Gimcheon Sangmu (68.89%)
Lee Bum-soo, Incheon United (68.29%)
Ahn Jun-soo, Suwon FC (68.09%
Kim Jun-hong, Gimcheon Sangmu/Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (66.67%)

Prevented Goals

Lee Chang-geun, Daejeon Hana Citizen (4.83)
Kim Dong-heon, Gimcheon Sangmu (4.54)
Jo Hyeon-woo, Ulsan HD (3.51)
Kim Jun-hong, Gimcheon Sangmu/Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2.38)
Yoon Pyung-guk, Pohang Steelers (2.01)

Clean Sheets

Kim Jun-hong, Gimcheon Sangmu/Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (15, 46.9%)
Jo Hyeon-woo, Ulsan HD (14, 36.8%)
Lee Bum-soo, Incheon United (11, 39.3%)
Kim Dong-jun, Jeju SK (9, 29%)
Lee Chang-geun, Daejeon Hana Citizen (9, 25.7%)
Ahn Jun-soo, Suwon FC (8, 23.5%)
Kim Kyeong-min, Gwangju FC (8, 22.2%)