WK League News

Gyeongju KHNP are one of the newest additions to the WK League, having made their debut in 2017. After a ‘first pancake’ seventh-place finish in their debut season, Gyeongju have been in the title race almost every year. Incheon Hyundai may hold the record for most championship titles, but if the WK League did senior superlatives, Gyeongju KHNP would be ‘most likely to finish in second place’. They’ve made it to the championship final on four occasions and lost to Incheon every time. Their biggest rivals in the race for second place are Suwon FC — the two teams have met in the play-off match six times, most recently in last year’s thrilling draw, eventually decided by a penalty shoot-out.

KHNP’s manager is former South Korea international Song Ju-hee, whose WK League debut was as a player for Chungnam Ilhwa Chunma in the 2009 season. Her first experience of losing to Incheon Hyundai in the championship final was in 2017 with Jeonbuk KSPO, where she was a coach for eight years before landing the top job at Gyeongju in 2019. Song is calm on the touchline, leaving the energetic gesticulating to the rest of her coaching team, but she exudes fierce determination. In her 2025 squad she’s assembled a force that other WK League managers are already bracing for, with four of them naming Gyeongju as favourites for the 2025 title at the WK League media day in Seoul this week.

Ten players have moved on from Gyeongju over the winter. Goalkeepers Choi Yeseul and Jung Yoonjung signed to Seoul and Suwon respectively, while midfielder Kitakata Sae and defender Yeon Yejin will both be playing for Changnyeong WFC in 2025. Former club captain Yeo ‘Messi’ Minji’s leadership and slick attacking play will be much missed as she pursues the next stage of her career in Canada. Another significant loss for the club is veteran Jeong Yeong-a, a stalwart of Gyeongju’s defensive line since joining the club in 2018. Following a series of minor injuries in recent years, Lee Sodam announced her retirement from football, and Kim Taeyang, Kim Minji and An Sebin have also left the club.

Replacing the two outgoing goalkeepers are two incoming ones — Jo Eejung joins Gyeongju from Suwon FC, while Kang Jiyeon was drafted from Korea University. Besides Kang, Gyeongju signed three other rookie players at the 2025 WK League draft. Joining Gyeongju on three-year contracts are South Korea U-20 teammates Kang Eunyoung (midfielder) and Um Mingyeong (defender). Along with final pick Oh Seoyeon, they could provide a useful injection of power and energy as substitutions, especially with so many back-to-back fixtures coming up. They’ll also no doubt be learning a lot from their more experienced teammates, becoming a foundation for Gyeongju’s success long beyond the 2025 season.

Gyeongju may have lost the play-off against eventual league champions Suwon FC last year, but since then, they’ve gained four members of Suwon’s title-winning squad. In addition to aforementioned keeper Jo Eejung, Gyeongju has gained experienced midfielder Kim Yoonji, whose equaliser in the 2024 play-off sent the two teams to a penalty shoot-out. Jeon Eun-ha was a key player for Suwon last year, and now reunited with friend, former team-mate, and Gyeongju captain Jang Sel-gi, she’ll be making things tricky for the opposition and creating opportunities for her own team’s impressive line-up of goal-scoring machines. One of those machines is Moon Mira, Suwon FC’s 2024 club captain, and the first player to score over 100 goals in the WK League. Defender Lee Soobin has also joined Gyeongju from Changnyeong WFC.

Even Moon’s 10 goals in 25 appearances last season was no match for Gyeongju’s mid-season arrival Mai Kyokawa. Kyokawa scored 19 in 25 for KHNP and took home both the top goal scorer and MVP trophies at the 2024 WK League awards. Providing more options up front are Hyun Seulgi and Bruna Pelé, who are both very fast on their feet and ready to take advantage of an opposition error and catch them off guard with a long run up the wing.

Defensively, players to look out for include vice captain Kwak Minjeong, Korea international Kim Jinhee, and Gyeongju’s most senior player, Lee Sejin. Lee’s football career began when some of her newest teammates were still learning to walk, but this experience, combined with her physicality, make her a formidable opponent despite, or perhaps because of, her age.

Beyond the headline big names, Gyeongju’s strength lies in having consistency throughout the squad. With a mix of proven top-class players and new talent in all areas of the field, combined with a passionate desire to break the second place curse, Gyeongju are starting this season with a target on their backs. Old rivals Incheon Hyundai and 2024 regular league champions Hwacheon KSPO both have something to prove this year, not to mention defending champions Suwon FC. They will all make it difficult for Gyeongju, and other teams in the league will also revel in the prospect of beating this intimidating line-up. With a squad like this, it’s hard to imagine them not being in the title race again this year, but it won’t be a walk in the park.

Gyeongju KHNP WFC 2025 Squad

Changes from 2024