Football in South Korea

The sport of football in the country of South Korea is run by the Korea Football Association. The association administers the national football team as well as the K-League. Football is one of the country's most popular sports along with baseball.

In ancient times, Silla, one of Three Kingdoms of Korea, had a ball game called 'chuk-guk' (Hangul: 축국, Hanja: 蹴鞠) very similar in form to contemporary football. However, Koreans first saw the present version of football in 1882 when British crew members played a game while their vessel, HMS Flying Fish, was visiting the Port of Jemulpo.

The first All Korea Football Tournament named All Joseon Football Championship was held in 1921. Prior to first championship, Joseon Sports Association was created in 1920. In 1928, Joseon Referee Association was created. Before the creation of the Joseon Football Association in 1933, two organizations hosted the competitions. The creation of Joseon Football Association led to the establishment of several prominent club sides on the peninsula as Korean football began to enter a different form. The All Joseon Football Championship, which had until 1932 been a tournament almost exclusively between academic institutions, included a 'professional' class from 1933 which, along with the immensely popular Kyungsung (now Seoul)-Pyongyang inter-city football series, raised interest levels in the sport greatly.

The Korea Football Association was reinstated in 1948, following the establishment of the Republic of Korea. The KFA became a member of FIFA, the international football governing body, in 1948. The same year, the South Korea national football team made its international debut at the Olympic Games in London. The KFA joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954. The first Korean player to earn international recognition was Cha Bum-kun, who played in the German Bundesliga in the 1980s. Another star was Park Ji-sung, who played for PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United during the 2000s.

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