Director Kim Ki-dong of Pohang is about to go to Seoul

Coach Kim Ki-dong (52), who gave the Pohang Steelers the FA (Korea Football Association) Cup trophy this season, is expected to take the helm of FC Seoul. "Coach Kim Ki-dong is the first to be negotiated with the next head coach," a source from the Seoul club said on Wednesday. "We are discussing the terms of the contract." The Pohang team also said that although the contract period of Kim Ki-dong is two years away, the contract can be terminated under mutual agreement. Kim has renewed his three-year contract with Pohang until 2025 ahead of this season.

This season, Seoul led the box office with more than 400,000 spectators for the first time since 2018, when only paid spectators began to be counted, but only ranked seventh. Seoul, where Ahn Ik-soo (58) resigned in August and Kim Jin-kyu (38) led the team, has been looking for a new head coach early on. The appointment of head coach Kim is considered a good card to lead the recovery of Seoul's reputation, which failed to reach the top of the K-League for the last time in the 2016 season.

Coach Kim Ki-dong, who played 501 games (5th in most K-League appearances) in Bucheon and Pohang while he was an active player, has been at the helm of Pohang since 2019. In the 2020 season, he led his team to third place and won the "Coach of the Year" award, and again this season, he won the second place in the K-League and the FA Cup. The Pohang team's total annual salary in the 2022 season was 10th among the 11 K-League 1 (division 1) teams (excluding commerce), so it was highly praised for its increased organizational power based on its outstanding tactical capabilities without a big star. Seoul is said to have offered the highest annual salary in Korea to head coach Kim Ki-dong. In August, Ulsan Hyundai coach Hong Myung-bo (54) renewed his three-year contract, becoming the first Korean professional sports coach to receive an annual salary of 1 billion won. 토토사이트넷

Pohang is considering giving the helm to Park Tae-ha (55), chairman of the Korea Professional Football Federation's technical committee, once head coach Kim Ki-dong leaves the team. Park is a "one club man" who only played in Pohang except for Sangmu when he was an active player, and he assisted Sergio Parias (56, Brazil) as a coach in Pohang in 2007, enjoying the joy of winning the K League. Since then, he has taken the helm of Yanbian Fooder in China and won the top-tier league (division 2) in 2015, achieving promotion to the Super League (division 1).

Suwon FC also announced on the day that it will complete its four-year companionship with head coach Kim Do-kyun after the 2023 season. Kim is said to be negotiating with the K-League 2 Seoul E-Land club.