Some K League players are so synonymous with their current clubs that it is hard to imagine them playing for another team. Some even played for their current team's rivals. The first in this new series takes a look at some well-known K League stars and the other clubs they represented once upon a time.

 
Yeom Ki-hun 

Yeom Ki-hun is a Suwon Samsung Bluewings legend having racked up well over 300 appearances for the club. While with the Bluewings, Yeom has won three FA Cups but his first taste of silverware was actually in the green of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Yeom was part of the Jeonbuk side which won the 2006 AFC Champions League and stayed in Jeonju for around a year before moving to Ulsan Hyundai, spending two and a half seasons at the Munsu (pictured above). It wasn't until 2010 when Yeom made the move to Big Bird. 

Lee Dong-gyeong 

Lee Dong-gyeong is an important member of Hong Myung-bo's Ulsan Hyundai squad but before he earned his stripes with the Horangi, Lee went out on loan at FC Anyang in K League 2. Donning the number 36 jersey in the 2018 season. Lee joined the Violets in the summer of that year and made 10 appearances for the Gyeonggi Province outfit. It wasn't until the 2019 campaign that Lee made his Ulsan debut, coming on for Mix Diskerud in the AFC Champions League qualifier against Perak FA of Malaysia in the 70th minute. Since then, Lee has gone on to feature heavily for the full Korea team and was part of the Ulsan setup which won the ACL in 2020.

Lee Yong 

Another player with an Ulsan connection is Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors right back Lee Yong. Lee was a Horangi when Ulsan won the Rush and Cash Cup in 2011 and the AFC Champions League the following year. While in the blue of Ulsan, Lee made 171 appearances, scored two goals and laid on 12 assists. For Jeonbuk, Lee is still around 40 appearances short of reaching the same number as he did for Ulsan. After completing his military service with Sangju Sangmu in 2016, Lee moved to Jeonbuk where he has gone on to win five K League titles and one FA Cup.

Hong Chul

Continuing with the Ulsan Hyundai connection, Hong Chul is perhaps known more for his seven-year spell with Suwon Bluewings but his career began across Gyeonggi Province with Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in 2010. The Korean international left-back made 101 appearances for Seongnam, nine of those came in the 2010 AFC Champions League although Hong didn't make the matchday squad for the final. While at Tancheon, Hong also won the 2011 FA Cup - a competition he would win twice while with Suwon Bluewing. Hong's second ACL medal came in 2020 for Ulsan Hyundai. The experienced left-back has since signed for Daegu FC.

Paul Neat
Managing Editor