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Ulsan's Jo Hyeon-woo K League 1's highest paid Korean

Published: 30 Dec. 2024, 13:03 Updated: 30 Dec. 2024, 13:12

Ulsan HD goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo poses with the trophy as the MVP of the 2024 K League 1 season during the K League Awards ceremony at Swiss Grand Hotel in western Seoul on Nov. 29. [YONHAP]

Ulsan HD goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, the MVP of the 2024 K League 1 season, was also the highest-paid Korean player in the league this year, data showed Monday.

The K League released salary figures for clubs and individual players Monday, including bonuses paid out for wins, goals and assists in the K League 1, the Korea Cup and the AFC Champions League Elite.

Among Korean players, Jo had the highest salary at 1.49 billion won ($1.01 million). Another Ulsan player, defender Kim Young-gwon, ranked second with 1.45 billion won.

Kim was the highest-paid Korean player at 1.53 billion won in 2023, when he was voted the K League 1 MVP.

A trio of Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors players — Kim Jin-su at 1.37 billion won, Lee Seung-woo at 1.35 billion won and Park Jin-seob at 1.17 billion won — rounded out the top five.

Jesse Lingard of FC Seoul led all foreign players with 1.82 billion won, followed by Daegu FC forward Cesinha at 1.73 billion won. Lingard, a former Manchester United player and English international, made headlines with his surprise signing with FC Seoul in February, instantly becoming the league's most recognizable star.

Ulsan had the highest payroll with 20.9 billion won, up from 18.3 billion won last year. Ulsan, who won their third consecutive title this year, also had the highest average salary per player at 612 million won.

Jeonbuk ranked second in both overall payroll at 20.4 billion won and average salary at 483.5 million won. However, the return on their investment wasn't great, as Jeonbuk finished 10th among 12 clubs and had to survive a playoff series to avoid being relegated to the K League 2.

On average, a K League 1 player earned 349.9 million won this year, up from 295.5 million won last year.

Yonhap