The highest paid South Korean football player in K League 1 in 2022 was Kim Jin-kyu with an annual salary of around 1.5 billion South Korean won. All of the domestic football players featured on the list were from one of two football clubs. Both Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Ulsan Hyundai were considered the powerhouses of the league. It should be noted that this list excludes the salaries of foreign players.
The K League
The K League 1 is South Korea’s top tier football league, consisting of twelve teams. Several of the competing clubs are owned by big Korean conglomerates, such as Hyundai or Samsung. As one of the most prestigious soccer leagues in Asia, South Korean teams have won the most titles in the Asian equivalent to the UEFA Champions League. In terms of popularity, soccer ranks second in the country, just behind baseball, according to a survey conducted in 2017.
Soccer and Baseball in South Korea
Korea’s top level baseball league, the KBO league, is the most popular sports league in the country. Its highest paid players thus tend to earn substantially more than both domestic and foreign players of the K League 1. In recent years, both the KBO league and the K League 1 have attracted a total attendance of several million people per season.
Highest paid South Korean football players in K League 1 in South Korea in 2022
(in billion South Korean won)
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Yonhap. (December 30, 2022). Highest paid South Korean football players in K League 1 in South Korea in 2022 (in billion South Korean won) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 21, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1116697/south-korea-highest-paid-korean-k-league-players/
Yonhap. "Highest paid South Korean football players in K League 1 in South Korea in 2022 (in billion South Korean won)." Chart. December 30, 2022. Statista. Accessed November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1116697/south-korea-highest-paid-korean-k-league-players/
Yonhap. (2022). Highest paid South Korean football players in K League 1 in South Korea in 2022 (in billion South Korean won). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 21, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1116697/south-korea-highest-paid-korean-k-league-players/
Yonhap. "Highest Paid South Korean Football Players in K League 1 in South Korea in 2022 (in Billion South Korean Won)." Statista, Statista Inc., 30 Dec 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1116697/south-korea-highest-paid-korean-k-league-players/
Yonhap, Highest paid South Korean football players in K League 1 in South Korea in 2022 (in billion South Korean won) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1116697/south-korea-highest-paid-korean-k-league-players/ (last visited November 21, 2024)
Highest paid South Korean football players in K League 1 in South Korea in 2022 (in billion South Korean won) [Graph], Yonhap, December 30, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1116697/south-korea-highest-paid-korean-k-league-players/
