WK League News

Gyeongju KHNP are seeking a new manager to replace Song Juhee, who has led the club’s women’s team since 2019. The club posted a recruitment notice on its website and social media channels this morning. The incoming manager will initially sign a two-year contract, with the possibility to extend dependent on results.

Starting the year with a large squad including some of the biggest names in the WK League, KHNP were tipped by rival team managers as the team to beat in 2025. The club’s WK League season began with a heavy loss at home to Seoul City and ended with a disappointing fourth-place finish, missing out on a place in the playoff match despite spending much of the season within the top three. In between, results have been mixed. Even after bringing in more star players during the summer transfer window, manager Song seemed to struggle to find a formula that worked on the pitch, never quite settling on a regular starting eleven. As the season went on, supporters began to express discontent, and many will be pleased to see a new face leading the team into the 2026 season.

Outgoing manager Song Juhee is herself a retired player, having been one of the ‘first generation’ of women footballers in Korea. Most of Song’s club career happened in the pre-WK League era, but she did play in the league’s inaugural season during her final year at Chungnam Ilhwa Chunma before retiring at the end of the 2009 season. She wrote her name into the league’s history books as the first (and at the time, only) WK League player to be married. Song also made 43 international appearances for South Korea between 1995 and 2008.

After retirement, Song went into coaching, working at Jeonbuk KSPO (now Hwacheon KSPO) for eight years before being appointed as manager at Gyeongju KHNP. At the time, the club needed someone to steady the ship following the turbulence of former manager Ha Keumjin’s dismissal due to sexual misconduct and the subsequent investigation by the Korea Football Association. During her six seasons in Gyeongju, Song’s team has only finished outside of the playoff positions twice: in 2023 and again this year. KHNP went as far as the Championship Final for three years in a row, losing to Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels on all three occasions. In 2024, the team narrowly missed out on another final, losing to eventual WK League champions Suwon FC in a penalty shootout after the playoff ended in a draw.

With the calibre of the players on Gyeongu’s roster, finishing outside of title contention was an unacceptable result for many of the club’s supporters. Some have looked to Incheon, a rival team that has bounced back this year under a new manager after a disappointing end to 2024 under long-time manager Kim Eunsook. There has been a growing sense this season that a stale Gyeongju KHNP likewise needs a change.

Given the club’s status in the league, its financial stability compared to most other women’s teams in Korea, and the players currently under contract, the post at KHNP should be an attractive one to experienced managers working in the field. Expectations are high, with fans already throwing around names of potential candidates in online communities. The club is aiming to wrap up the application procedure by mid-November, with the new manager expected to take charge of winter training and recruitment, including the 2026 WK League draft.