K League to add extra promotion-relegation playoff next season

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K League to add extra promotion-relegation playoff next season

Gimpo FC head coach Ko Jeong-Woon [YONHAP]

Gimpo FC head coach Ko Jeong-Woon [YONHAP]

 
The K League announced Tuesday that Gimpo FC will play in the K League 2 and a playoff will be added to the promotion-relegation playoff starting next season.  
 
In the K League, the bottom club from the K League 1 is automatically relegated and the top team from K League 2 takes their place in the top tier. The second-to-last K League 1 team competes in a playoff each year with one of the runners-up from the K League 2. If the K League 2 club wins, they are promoted and the K League 1 club is relegated. 
 
Last season, Gwangju FC were relegated to the second division league after finishing at the bottom of the K League 1 and Gimcheon Sangmu were promoted to the top tier after topping the second division league. 
 
Starting this season, in addition to the previous promotion-relegation playoff, the 10th K League 1 club — the second-from-last in the 12-team league — will need to play the winner of a series of playoffs played between the third to fifth K League 2 clubs. Only the top nine K League 1 clubs will be guaranteed to stay in the top tier without playing a promotion-relegation playoff.  
 
The new addition to the playoffs is partially because Gimpo FC will be joining the 10 K League 2 clubs in the second division league starting this season. Founded in 2013, Gimpo won their first-ever third division league title last season. K League 2 clubs last season played 36 matches per club, but now with the addition of Gimpo, a total of 11 clubs will each play 40 matches.
 
Gimpo was promoted to the K League 2 on merit, as there isn't currently a promotion-relegation system that exists between the K League 2 and the third-tier K3 League. The introduction of such a system is planned in 2023. 
 
The K League also decided to expand a K League 1 rule that allows up to five players, three more than the usual two, to be substituted during the match if at least one player under 22 years old is included in the starting list and another player under 22 is substituted into the match or both players start on the pitch to the K League 2.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]
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