The K League 1 Wrap-Up: Halfway Point Reflections

With more midweek action taking us to the true halfway point of the 2025 K League 1 season, columnist Nathan Sartain returns to wrap-up all of round 19's talking points.

Are Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors Unbeatable?

15 games. Over 14 weeks. Over 2000 hou… you get the picture. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors have been on a roll for a long while, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping, even when you think it will.

In midweek, the Green Warriors were 2-0 behind to Suwon FC until the 52nd-minute. Suwon were playing well too, and looked to be in control of their own fortunes. But once Jeonbuk attacked with an unrelenting energy, committing everyone they conceivably could forward, it suddenly began to feel like a comeback was the likely outcome. It may have taken until the 89th-minute, and via an own-goal via Kim Tae-han, but for some watching, this triumph would have never been in doubt for Gus Poyet’s men, which is a full testament to the title-winning mentality he has reinstalled at the club.

Jeonbuk’s reward for such a major result? Going eight-points clear at the top of K League 1. On Wednesday, Daejeon Hana Citizen, who went down to 10-men prior to the hour-mark, held Gimcheon Sangmu to a 0-0 draw. Overall, it’s not a major negative - the Purples actually did well to keep a fairly even flow to the game once technically on the back-foot - though all the stars are starting to align firmly in the favour of our current league leaders.

So, back to the point of the sub-heading. Is this current incarnation of Jeonbuk unbeatable? Technically not, as they’ve shown in their two 2025 defeats that they can be bettered by sturdy defending and slice of luck. Yet when talking with the same kind of energetic, slight hyperbole a column can tend to permit, it really is near impossible to foresee where the next hurdle will show for the Green Warriors, who for the vast majority of this season have passed near enough every test that has come their way.

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A Mid-Table Check-In

As we are now at the halfway point of the overall K League 1 season, it’s worth a little look at those teams who might slip under the radar.

In sixth-place, Gwangju FC returned to winning ways this week, with a Jung Ji-hun winner early in the second-half giving the Griffins a 1-0 away victory against the in-form Jeju SK. This was not a thrilling affair, with a lingering stop-start presence to proceedings, but when in a bit of a rut you need to win grittily, and at the very least put a limit on what your opposition is allowed to do. Lee Jung-hyo’s men did that well enough here, even when a player short, and ultimately it has prevented them from being sucked into the bottom-half logjam that looks to be emerging.

Just behind Gwangju are FC Seoul, who you could argue were somewhat fortuitous to leave with a 1-1 draw against Gangwon FC this past Tuesday. Sure, the Capital City side had the majority of possession, but the Bears held out excellently, ditched their now familiar conservative approach for a riskier press, and were initially awarded for their endeavour through a smart Lee Sang-heon near-post finish. However, there’s always some danger when you do allow territory to be gained in your half, and Moon Seon-min was spritely to latch onto a deflection for a headed equaliser. For the Bears, they’ll now hope a positive showing here can turn into wins quickly, as they currently remain in the bottom three.

Then, there’s FC Anyang. The Violets didn’t play in midweek - their round 19 fixture against Ulsan had been played in April and ended in defeat - yet deserve recognition for a solid start to their debut top-flight campaign. There have been plenty of bumps, in addition to some sobering realisations that sometimes playing openly can backfire just as much as it entertains, but Anyang have been far from pushovers, and can return to action at the weekend with two wins from their last three matches.

A Note on Daegu FC

If we’re being honest, Daegu FC risk being in real adverse conditions heading into the summer break. With just 13 points accumulated in 19 rounds, the Sky Blues sit nine-points away from automatic safety, and have won just once across their last 17 games. Such reading reduces the impact comeback draws against teams like Pohang Steelers and Gwangju FC should make, while increasing the pressure to succeed on new boss Kim Byung-soo.

With that being said, a silver-lining could be found this Saturday. Despite all of the negatives listed, Daegu are only a win away from catching Suwon FC, and head into the weekend preparing to face a Gangwon FC side who are not only K League 1’s lowest-scoring team, but have the worst home form in the division (two wins, three draws, four losses). Oh, Kim Byung-soo has beaten the Bears both times he has returned to face them as a manager too.

So that’s that for another round! The K League season rolls on again in just a few days, as we hurtle towards a three-week break at rapid pace.