WK League News

Gyeongju KHNP, currently in second place in the league table, have reduced the gap between themselves and leaders Hwacheon KSPO to just two points, picking up a win against Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels in their Round 13 clash on Thursday.

The match, originally scheduled to take place in May but postponed due to Incheon’s continental campaign, was held at Yangsan Stadium due to Gyeongju’s home pitch (and every other football pitch in the city, apparently) being used for a youth football tournament. Yangsan is sixty kilometres south of Gyeongju, and the stadium is not regularly used for football, so the pitch was in poor condition. As important as grassroots football is, it’s embarrassing that a professional women’s club had to give up their ground for children to play — given that the venue change was announced just days before the fixture, it seems as if there was some oversight in the planning of this rearranged match.

On the bright side, however, Gyeongju KHNP invited members of a local Yangsan youth football club to walk out with the players as mascots and watch the match. Yangsan doesn’t have a league football club (men’s or women’s) of its own, so watching football of this standard in their own city was a novelty for the boys and girls, who cheered enthusiastically throughout the match and clamoured for photos and autographs. KHNP did a good job of creating a home match atmosphere at a completely alien stadium, and if the venue change resulted in some youngsters getting interested in women’s football, maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Also in attendance was national team head coach Shin Sangwoo, keeping an eye on things as two of the WK League’s strongest teams went head-to-head. With Gyeongju firmly in the title race and Incheon on the fringes of it, both teams arrived determined to take all three points from this match.

Of the two teams KHNP looked more threatening in the first half, summer signing Emi Nakajima proving her legend status with impressive stamina and vision in the midfield. Bruna Pele created several attacking opportunities with well-timed runs and precision passing, but Gyeongju were unable to penetrate Incheon’s defence — national team regular Ko Yoojin was unflappable as ever, and with Korea’s number 1 Kim Minjung between the sticks, the Red Angels dealt with threats calmly. Typical of their performance this season, Incheon looked stronger in defence than in attack, but they did have Gyeongju’s defenders scrambling a few times as Oh Yeonhee carried the ball up the field with pace on the counter.

Attempts in both directions proved fruitless, and it wasn’t until KHNP were awarded a penalty kick in the 64th minute that they were able to break the deadlock. 2024 WK League top scorer Mai Kyokawa stepped up to the spot and easily slipped the ball past keeper Kim to give Gyeongju the lead. With only one goal in it, both teams used their substitutions to dial up the intensity. Desperately seeking an equaliser, Incheon came close, but their best attempts were foiled by some excellent saves from Kang Jiyeon, making her league debut for Gyeongju after a strong performance at the National Women’s Football Championship this month.

With the score still standing at 1-0 at the final whistle, Gyeongju KHNP are now just two points behind Hwacheon KSPO at the top of the table, with the same number of matches played. Incheon, for their part, are closing in on Seoul City, currently in third with 33 points. Incheon have 28 points and a game in hand as they attempt to overtake the Amazones and claim a place in the WK League playoff.

Seoul were also in action on Thursday, making a trip to Mungyeong for another catch-up fixture, postponed from March due to forest fires in the region. The visitors took an early lead, rising star Kim Minji taking Mungyeong’s defence by surprise with a fantastic goal within three minutes of the starting whistle. Seoul’s joy was short-lived, with Mungyeong captain Kim Minjin skilfully curling the ball over the defence and into the net from outside the box a few minutes later. Both keepers were kept busy throughout the first half as play went from one end to the other, but the score remained at 1-1 at the break.

In the second half, a well-delivered long ball from goalkeeper Jo Ara allowed Kim Minsoo to bypass Seoul’s entire defence, and with keeper Woo Seobin well off her line, Kim’s effortless finish put the home team ahead with thirty minutes left to play. Sangmu nearly got a third when a shot from Park Hyun-a hit the post, bouncing back into the danger zone before it was cleared away by Seoul’s defence. The match ended at 2-1, Mungyeong’s victory thanks in no small part to some super saves by Jo Ara.

The win takes Mungyeong into sixth place in the league table, one point ahead of defending champions Suwon FC and one point behind Sejong Sportstoto. At this point in the season, there’s not much to play for for the teams in the bottom half of the table besides pride — while not mathematically excluded from the title race yet, something rather extraordinary would have to happen for any of these clubs to be involved in this year’s playoff or final.

As for Seoul, Thursday’s defeat was only their second of the 2025 WK League so far, but it’s another disappointment for the club after a poor showing at the National Women’s Football Championship. The Amazones had an explosive start to 2025 but have lost some momentum as the season has gone on, winning only two of their last ten league games and holding the questionable honour of most draws in the league. With a smaller squad and fewer resources than their closest rivals, the next few rounds will be crucial for Seoul if they are to stay within the playoff positions and, by extension, in the title fight.

Incheon and Gyeongju meet again next week, this time at Incheon’s home ground, as the WK League returns in full with all teams in action for Round 20.

2025 WK League Round 20
Thursday 21st August

Mungyeong Sangmu vs. Changnyeong WFC 17:00, Mungyeong Civic Stadium
Hwacheon KSPO vs. Suwon FC 19:00, Hwacheon Sports Park
Incheon Hyundai vs. Gyeongju KHNP 19:00, Incheon Namdong Asiad
Sejong Sportstoto vs. Seoul City 19:00, Sejong Civic Stadium