WK League News

The basics

Full team name: Gangjin Swans Women’s Football Club
Established: 2018 (as Changnyeong WFC)
Home ground: Yeongrang Field, Gangjin Sports Complex
Manager: Go Hyunho
Leadership team: Lee Hyokyung (captain); Kim Yerin, Kwak Royeong, Kim Sungmi (vice-captains)

The 2025 season

(as Changnyeong WFC)

WK League: 8th place (10 points, 2W 4D 22L)
National Women’s Football Championship: Knocked out in group stage
National Sports Festival: Knocked out in Round 1 (quarter-finals) by Sangmu

What went well: Changnyeong WFC were the first WK League team to celebrate a goal in 2025 when Lee Eunyoung scored in the sixth minute of their opening match away at Hwacheon. So many of Changnyeong’s 2025 highlights come with caveats, and this is no exception (they went on to lose the match), but the honour of the first goal of the season cannot be taken away from them. It’s hard to say that anything went particularly well for Changnyeong in 2025, but there were small moments of joy among the hardships, and the club’s supporters stuck with them through it all.

What didn’t go well: Take your pick. Changnyeong suffered 22 losses in 28 league matches last year, each one more gutting than the last. Whether it was losing at home, losing on the road, losing by a significant margin (5-0 away at both Gyeongju and Mungyeong), losing after taking the lead (the aforementioned season opener), losing when they probably deserved at least a point (a scrappy home clash with Gyeongju that ended 1-3), or losing even when defender Sae scored a hat-trick (a bizarre 7-3 away at Hwacheon, in which KSPO’s Wie Jae-eun also scored a hat-trick) — Changnyeong did it all.

2026 squad

Out: Jin Hyunjung, Yoon Hyunji (retired); Koo Chaehyun (Gyeongju KHNP); Kim Jihyun, Mok Seungyon, Baek Jinju, Yeon Yejin, Sae Kitakata (Hwacheon KSPO); Ko Minjeong, Lee Harim (Sejong Sportstoto); Choi Jungyun (Seoul City); Lee Eunyoung (Molde FK); Hwang Hyemin, Kim Seyoung, Yoo Hangyeol (FA)
In: Kang Jiyeon, Kwak Royeong, Lee Siho (Gyeongju KHNP); Kim Sungmi, Lee Sohee, Lee Deokju (Incheon Hyundai); Lee Hyokyung (Sejong Sportstoto); Lee Yeongseo, Hwang Ahyeon, Song Jae-eun (Suwon FC); Noh Hyeyeon (Iga FC Kunoichi Mie); Son Hwayeon (AIK Fotboll); Manu Polachini (Briar Cliff University); Kim Kyuyeon (Ulsan College); Ko Da-ae, Choi Eunhyung, Yang Eunseo (Korea University); Kim Surin (Uiduk University); Yoon Yuri (Gangwon State University); Gu Karam (Daeduk University)
Returning players: Kim Yerin, Do Yoonji, Jung Seol-a, Lee Yesol, Kim Eunjoo, Hong Seongyeon, Park Gahyun

What to expect

Aims: It’s still a bit ambiguous as to what extent Gangjin is Changnyeong WFC reborn, and to what extent the Swans should be considered a new, separate club. Either way, this is a chance for the small core of ‘returning’ players to escape their demons. Around this group, Gangjin have assembled a roster of players that includes inexperienced rookies but balances their presence with that of reliable veterans, who have joined the club from across the WK League and beyond it. The best way for the Swans to shake off the history of Changnyeong WFC’s struggles is to prove themselves on the pitch. They should be aiming for a mid-table finish, or at the very least to shake up the league by making top-half teams work hard for a result.

Key players: Son Hwayeon, who made her senior debut with Changnyeong WFC and played there for three years before heading to Incheon to win WK League titles, returns to Korea this season following a stint at Swedish side AIK Fotboll. Son has also made a successful return to South Korea’s national team, scoring her first international goal in over two years in Korea’s Asian Cup clash with Uzbekistan. Another astute signing is goalkeeper Kang Jiyeon, who joins the club from Gyeongju. Kang was a draftee in 2025 and got her first minutes for KHNP at the National Women’s Football Championship, where her strong performances earned her a few league starts in the latter half of the season. Kang’s progress has also led to her receiving a first senior international call-up ahead of the upcoming FIFA Series.

Reasons to watch: Gangjin is a new destination for WK League teams and fans, and the club itself is still a largely unknown quantity, but there is every reason to believe that the Swans will fare better than the Changnyeong WFC of recent years. It is good for the league as a whole if lower- and mid- table teams become more competitive, and it will be fascinating to see how Jeonnam’s first WK League team gets on this season.