K League Classic
 |
|
| Country |
 South Korea
|
|---|---|
| Confederation | AFC |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | K League Challenge |
| Domestic cup(s) | FA Cup |
| International cup(s) | AFC Champions League |
| Current champions |
FC Seoul (2016) |
| Most championships |
Seongnam FC (7 titles) |
| TV partners | KBS, JTBC, SPOTV |
| Website | Official Website |
 2017 K League Classic
|
|
| K League Classic | |
| Hangul | K리그 클래식 |
|---|---|
| Revised Romanization | K rigeu keullaesik |
| McCune–Reischauer | K rigŭ k'ŭllaesik |
The K League Classic is one of South Korea's professional association football leagues. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 12 clubs.
The K League Classic was founded in 1983 as the Korean Super League, with five member clubs. The initial five clubs were Hallelujah FC, Yukong Elephants, POSCO Dolphins, Daewoo Royals, Kookmin Bank FC. Hallelujah FC won the inaugural title, finishing one point ahead of Daewoo FC to lift the crown.
In 1998, Korea's football league was reformed and renamed the K League. (K-League was official orthography by 2012) Since its creation, the league has expanded from an initial 5 to 16 clubs. Of the 5 inaugural clubs, only Yukong Elephants, POSCO Dolphins, and Daewoo Royals remain in the K League; Kookmin Bank FC dropped out of the league at the end of 1984, and Hallelujah FC followed the season after.
Below the K League Classic, there is the K League Challenge, and below the K League Challenge, there is the National League, a closed semi-professional/amateur league with fifteen clubs, established in 2003. The fourth level of football in Korea is the Challengers League.
There was no official system of promotion and relegation. However, beginning in 2013, the champions of K League Challenge is eligible for promotion to the K League Classic, provided they had met certain criteria. In 2012 season, two teams from K League Classic was relegated to K League Challenge, and in 2013, two teams will be relegated to K League Challenge, and 11th placed team from K League Classic and the first placed team from K League Challenge will have a relegation play-off.
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