Former U-20 national team manager Kim Eun-jung to lead Suwon FC

Former U-20 national team manager Kim Eun-jung [JOONGANG ILBO]

Kim Eun-jung, the former manager of the U-20 national team, will helm K League 1 side Suwon FC next season, the club announced Wednesday.

The appointment marks the first time Kim will take charge of a K League team.

Kim, 44, started his coaching career at Belgian team Royale Union Tubize-Braine where he worked as an assistant coach from 2015 to 2017 and briefly served as interim manager at the end of the 2016-17 season.

He then worked as an assistant coach for the U-23 national team from 2017 through 2021 during which the team played in the 2018 Asian Games and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The U-23 squad won a gold medal at the 2018 Asiad. The U-23 team made it to the quarterfinals at the postponed Olympics in 2021, exiting the tournament after a loss to Mexico.

Kim moved on to take charge of the U-20 team in 2022 ahead of the U-20 World Cup in 2023. The team managed a solid result at the tournament in June, reaching the semifinals and finishing in fourth.

Korea finish fourth at U-20 World Cup

Kim's appointment comes as Suwon is looking to redeem themselves from a disappointing 2023. The team struggled throughout the season and finished in 11th-place on the 12-team table, which forced them into the promotion-relegation playoffs.

Suwon avoided relegation to the second division by winning the playoffs against K League 2 team Busan IPark, but then-Suwon manager Kim Do-kyun resigned on Dec. 12 after the playoffs to join Seoul E-Land in the lower tier.

Kim Eun-jung's appointment has drawn support online, with comments reading “Amazing! I feel assured already!!” and “What a good appointment” under the announcement posted to the team's official Instagram account Wednesday.

Before the 2024 season rolls around, Kim will have some work to do to improve the team.

Suwon's defense may be the No. 1 factor that Kim will have to focus on during his first year, as it was the team's most noticeable vulnerability last season.

Suwon conceded the most goals of any K League 1 team — 76. As there were 38 league fixtures for each team, that means Suwon conceded two goals per game on average.

Kim Eun-jung joins a list of veteran managers in the league next season, including Kim Hak-bum, who was hired to helm Jeju United earlier this month.

Renowned Korean manager Kim Hak-bum to lead Jeju next

Kim Hak-bum was the U-23 national team manager from 2018 through 2021, when Kim Eun-jung worked as an assistant coach.

The 2024 K League will kick off in spring next year, with the exact schedule yet to be announced.

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