The 2024 Hana Bank K League 1 season has drawn to a close and it will be one to remember following a tight title race, a heated battle for the top four, and one of the most closely contested relegation battles in recent memory, if not ever.

1 Ulsan HD (Champions)

Ulsan HD began the season with Hong Myung-bo in charge and ended it with Kim Pan-gon, but the Horangi stayed the course and earned a third-straight K League 1 title. The championship was sealed with two games to go in a season that saw Ulsan pick up 21 wins, nine draws, record eight losses, and finish eight points clear of Gangwon in second.

Ulsan HD now have five K League 1 title wins to their name while three in a row is something that only two clubs have done before. Goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo won the K League 1 MVP award - only the second goalkeeper to win the award, and first since Lee Woon-jae in 2008. Four Ulsan players were named in the Best XI: Jo, Lee Myung-jae, Kim Kee-hee, and and Ko Seung-beom.

2 Gangwon FC

Gangwon FC'srunner-up finish is the club's best-ever and has earned the Bears a spot in the AFC Champions League Elite for the very first time. It was a record-breaking season for Gangwon with the club's highest top-flight points tally of 64, the highest number of top-flight wins with 19, and the longest winning streak of five matches. The now Tottenham-bound Yang Min-hyuk became the club's youngest-ever player to make a first-team appearance at the age of 17, their youngest goalscorer, and the league's youngest player to reach 10 goals. Yang won K League 1 Young Player of the Year and Hwang Mun-ki and Lee Sang-heon were named in the Best XI along with Yang. Not only that, but Yoon Jong-hwan won the Manager of the Year Award.

3 Gimcheon Sangmu

Gimcheon Sangmu, having only returned to K League 1 this season after winning K League 2 last year, set a new league position record for any army team in Korean football. Led by Chung Jung-yong, Gimcheon were part of a multi-team title race and set new top-flight records for points (63), goals (55), and points per game (1.65). Kim Bong-soo and Lee Dong-gyeong were named in the Best XI and Chung Jung-yong was one of the nominees for Manager of the Year

4 FC Seoul

Fourth place for FC Seoul represents their best end to a season and first Final A finish since 2019. The capital club's efforts in 2024 could also mean a spot in the AFC Champions League, depending on how other K League clubs fair in the current campaign. FC Seoul set a new K League record for total attendance in a single season with over 500,000 heading to Seoul World Cup Stadium in 2024. The first home game of the season, which was the home debut of Jesse Lingard, attracted a record paid attendance of 51,670. Yazan Al-Arab, Choi Jun, Jesse Lingard, and Stanislav Iljutcenko were all nominated for the Best XI.

5 Suwon FC

Suwon FC, under rookie manager Kim Eun-jung, ended the season in fifth which matches the club's best-ever finish to a season. Suwon set a new top-flight record for total points with 53 wins with 15, and goals with 54. Anderson Oliveira was nominated for MVP and was named in the Best XI on account of his excellent first season in K League, one which saw the Brazilian win the Top Assists Award with 13. Jeong Seung-won was also nominated for the Best XI.

6 Pohang Steelers

Pohang Steelers had led the league for 11 weeks accumulatively in 2024, more than any other team, but had to make do with a sixth-place finish. Pohang were led by club legend Park Tae-ha who took charge over the winter, guiding the club he spent 10 years with as a player, to the Korea Cup, beating East Coast Derby rivals Ulsan HD in the final. This made it six total Korea Cup triumphs, a new record, and the club's second in a row. Hong Yun-sang was nominated for Young Player of the Year. Oberdan, Wanderson, and Jeong Jae-hee along with Hong, were nominated for the K League 1 Best XI.

[READ: 2024 K League 1 Award Winners]

7 Jeju United

Finishing seventh and in the top spot of Final B is an improvement on last year's ninth place for Jeju United. Kim Hak-bum's team also recorded more wins than last year, 15 compared to 10, and accumulated eight more points. Brazilian midfielder Italo Moreira was nominated for Best XI for his impressive displays in a tangerine shirt.

8 Daejeon Hana Citizen

Despite being embroiled in a relegation battle, and only sealing survival in the penultimate round of the season, Daejeon Hana Citizen were at least able to match their record from 2023. Daejeon ended 2024 with the same number of wins and in the same league position as 2023 - 12 victories to finish eighth. Daejeon will also now have a third consecutive season in the top flight for the first time since 2013. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Lee Chang-geun was nominated for the Best XI.

9 Gwangu FC

For the first time in the club's history, Gwangju FC had to balance domestic competition with the AFC Champions League. Despite this, the Griffins were never at any stage in danger of getting relegated, and managed to seal 14 wins - the second-most in Final B, and the same number as sixth-place Pohang Steelers. Gwangju rarely drew matches, recording only five draws all year which was the second-fewest in K League 1. Talented, young midfielder Jeong Ho-yeon was nominated for the Best XI while goalkeeper Kim Kyeong-min was called up to the South Korean national team for the very first time.

10. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors finished 10th in K League 1 and had to go through the Promotion-Relegation Playoffs for the very first time to preserve their top-flight status. A 2-1 win over Seoul E-Land in the first leg at Mokdong Sports Complex set the Green Warriors up to win the tie overall, earning a 2-1 win in the second leg at home for an overall aggregate score of 4-2. The campaign was an abrupt departure from what the Jeonbuk fans have been used to over the years and will be keen to see a return to the upper end of the table sooner rather than later. Goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong was nominated for the Best XI.

11. Daegu FC

Daegu FC finished second-bottom of K League 1 and had to go through the Promotion-Relegation Playoffs. The Sky Blues lost the first leg 4-3 but then picked up a 3-1 win in the second after extra time thanks to huge contributions from Cesinha, Edgar, Hwang Jae-won, Lee Yong-rae, and Lee Chan-dong. It was  Hwang Jae-won was nominated for Young Player of the Year and for the Best XI, Cesinha was also among the nominees for the Best XI. 

12 Incheon United (Relegated)

The 2024 season will be one to forget for Incheon United and the club's supporters. The Durumi suffered their first-ever relegation after finishing last in K League 1. Incheon had been one of the few remaining teams yet to be relegated and had spent their entire existence in the top flight, a total of 21 seasons. One bright spot was Stefan Mugoša finishing as the league's top scorer with 15 goals.