Monthly Feature: TNT FC begin 2026 season with big win

The end of May saw the K5 League season get underway and it began with a big win for TNT FC, overcoming AS FC 4-0. Manager Hwangbo Soo says he's looking at how to balance more than won compettion, while opening day man of the match Kwak Min-seo reiterates that the aim is to finish the season as champions.

Image via TNT FC

TNT FC ran out 4-0 winners on the K5 opening weekend, putting AS FC to the sword thanks to goals from Lee Ho on 17 minutes, Kwak Min-seo on 74, Christopher Ligthart on 75 and Hwang Do-yoon on 81 minutes.

Getting off to a winning start, and in emphatic fashion, is exactly the way a team targeting back-to-back K5 League titles will want to begin the new campaign.

Manager Hwangbo Soo, though, said that there is still room for improvement. "First of all, in the first half, we pressed intensely from the front, as we had prepared to do, so we were able to steal the ball back well, but in transitions, we were unable to move into a more dynamic way of playing. With a schedule that involves the league, the cup and the Chiangmai Cup simultaneously, today's match was also part of the ongoing process to find the optimal combinations."

Image via TNT FC

Man of the match and the scorer of TNT's third goal, Kwak Min-seo, spoke about his performance and reiterated that the target is to win K5 again this year. "First of all, because the players and staff all really worked hard together, I was able to get a goal and an assist. It was all down to the players and staff. A lot of chances kept coming until around the 60th minute, but a goal just wouldn't go in. The coach said just to hit it with power, and then finally, a ball came to me and that's why I think it went in. Firstly, our aim this season is that we absolutely must finish first. Honestly, the K5 League is not an wasy league. Nevertheless, we'll work as hard as we can to make sure we finish first. I have nothing but the thought that we must win no matter what, but from a decision-making point of view, we have to work in training to improve this to make sure we score more goals. We have to finish first. Our goal is for us to all work together so that we can win the league."

[READ: What makes TNT FC so special?]

Recognisable names

The K5 title is the team's target, with the aim of playing in K4 next season. With the quality that TNT possesses in the squad, winning a second title in as many seasons is well within reach. The squad has some recognizable names, with former K League players.

Park Jun-hyuk

A former FA Cup winner and MVP with Seongnam and a player with close to 150 games in K League 1 to his name, Park Jun-hyuk has to be one of the biggest names ever to play regularly in K5. He made his professional debut with Daegu FC in 2011, spent two seasons with the Sky Blues before moving to Jeju United in 2013. The following year, he moved to Seongnam and won the FA Cup, helping the Magpies qualify for the Champions League again. In 2015, Park featured eight times in the ACL as Seongnam went to reach the round of 16. After Seongnam, Park played for Pocheon as part of his military service, before joining Daejeon and being a key part of the Purples' 2018 playoff push, before joining Jeonnam Dragons in 2019. Park, now 39, acts as a player-coach, taking up goalkeeper coaching duties as well as strapping on his gloves to help keep clean sheets for the first team.

Ka Sol-hyun

Centre back Ka Sol-hyun has played in K League 2 for FC Anyang, representing the Violets in their debut season in K League and, in fact, scored their first-ever K League goal, and K League 1 with Jeonnam Dragons and Gangwon FC. The 35-year-old has also played abroad, spending time with Al-Mesaimeer SC in the Qatari Second Division. Ka joined TNT in 2025, and his experience will continue to be valuable in another K5 title-winning season.

Kim Yeon-soo

Centre back Kim Yeon-soo, like goalkeeper Park Jun-hyuk, is a player with AFC Champions League experience. Kim featured five times in Incheon's debut ACL campaign in 2023, and racked up 71 appearances for the club overall in two spells. Kim also had two spells with Seoul E-Land, first in 2017, then in 2022, but started his career with Gangneung in the now-defunct National League and had a spell with Ansan Greeners from 2018 to 2019, with the latter season the Green Warriors' best ever, resulting in a playoff push.

Lee Ho

Another of TNT's player-coaches, Lee Ho, who scored the opening goal in the opening weekend win over AS FC, is a name that Daejeon Citizen fans in particular will remember. Lee joined Daejeon in 2010 and spent two seasons with the Purples before beginning his military service with Police FC/Ansan Police. A return in 2014 followed, a season that culminated with Daejeon winning the K League Challenge (K League 2) title. Lee then moved abroad to sign for Port FC in Thailand, playing 28 times, scoring two, and assisting one in the 2015 season.