K League champs Ulsan HD gear up for third title with signings across the pitch

Since the end of the 2023 season, the club has signed at least one player in nearly every position, including veteran defender Hwang Seok-ho, midfielder Ko Seung-beom and forward Kelvin from Brazil.

Ulsan Hyundai, now called Ulsan HD, players celebrate winning the 2023 K League 1 at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Dec. 3, 2023. [YONHAP]

K League 1 defending champions Ulsan HD have stacked their squad with multiple signings ahead of the 2024 season as they launch a campaign to take the league title for a third consecutive time.

Since the end of the 2023 season that ended with Ulsan’s first-ever league title defense, the club has signed at least one player in nearly every position, including veteran defender Hwang Seok-ho, midfielder Ko Seung-beom and forward Kelvin from Brazil.

Ulsan did lose key forward Valeri Qazaishvili, who left to join Chinese team Shandong Taishan, but most of their aces like last season’s K League top scorer Joo Min-kyu and veteran defender Kim Young-gwon are still with the team.

The addition of prospects — defender Hong Jae-suk, midfielders Choi Kang-min and Park Sang-jun — could also give Ulsan more options for rotation in the upcoming season.

The key to Ulsan's title defense last season was manager Hong Myung-bo’s attacking football where the players play aggressively whether they are losing or winning a game.

Hong’s style of play had a clear impact on the team, with the team scoring 63 goals in 38 fixtures as the league’s most prolific team alongside FC Seoul.

The upcoming season may see more of Hong’s influence, as it will be his fourth year in charge of Ulsan. Since taking the helm in 2021, Hong has transformed the team into the strongest contender in the K League, besting their age-old rivals Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

Prior to Hong’s spell, Ulsan was a constant second fiddle to Jeonbuk, finishing the league as runners-up for three straight seasons from 2019 to 2021.

It was in 2022 when Ulsan cut Jeonbuk’s five-season league winning streak — from 2017 to 2021 — to claim victory for the first time since 2005.

The 2024 season may see another fierce competition between the two, as Jeonbuk has also beefed up their squad with a number of power players.

While Ulsan have been the strongest side in the league for the past two seasons, they have yet to win the Korean FA Cup under Hong, finishing the tournament as semifinalists in 2021 and 2022 and crashing out of the quarterfinals last year.

Ulsan have a chance to claim all three titles — K League, FA Cup and AFC Champions League — this year, as they made it to the round of 16 of the 2023-24 Champions League.

A Champions League season runs over two calendar years — from September through May of the following year — while a K League season runs from February or March to December.

Ulsan will face Japanese team Ventforet Kofu at home on Feb. 15 in a home-and-away format round of 16, followed by a second leg scheduled on Feb. 21 at JIT Recycle Ink Stadium in Japan.

The 2024 K League 1 season will then kick off on March 1, with Ulsan playing the opening game of the season against last season’s league runners-up Pohang Steelers at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]