Decentralization policy in K League

This article is regarding the K League policy of professional football clubs compulsory relocation from Seoul to other cities by K League and South Korean Government.

By 1995, there have been three professional football clubs based in Seoul: Ilhwa Chunma, LG Cheetahs and Yukong Elephants. Korea Professional Football League wanted to spread football popularity nationally and secure football-specific stadiums for bidding of 2002 FIFA World Cup. In order to achieve this goal, Korea Professional Football League and Blue House forced all three clubs in Seoul to move to other cities. The intention was to compensate for the decreased number of home cities under the new system.

This was not proceeded smoothly with the affected clubs. K League offered them a condition that they can move back to Seoul. If a club among them build a football-specific stadium in Seoul, the club will get the priority to return to Seoul. Then all three clubs agreed to move.

This policy brought resistances from each clubs. In October 1995, Yukong threatened K League that they will dissolve the club if they have to move out of Seoul.

In November 1995, K League announced that if the clubs don't accept the decision, they will be excluded from the K League. Once the plan was announced, many city governments hoped to attract these clubs.

Yukong Elephants took the city of Bucheon's offer of a new 20,000-seater Bucheon Stadium with another football-specific stadium facilitated two training fields.

The club decided to use Seoul Mokdong Stadium as their temporary home ground until the construction of Bucheon Stadium to be completed. The club changed its name to Bucheon SK as a part of the policy on January 4, 1996.

For Ilhwa Chunma, the city of Cheonan offered a deal for the club. The City of Cheonan promised the club that the 1.2 billion KRW refubishment of Cheonan Oryong Stadium into a football-specific stadium with another sports complex in Baekseok-dong, Cheonan, to be built by 2001. The club accepted the offer, moved to Cheonan and changed its name to Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma as a part of the policy on 29 March 1996.

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