This image provided by Ulsan HD FC on Aug. 5, 2025, shows the K League 1 club’s new head coach, Shin Tae-yong. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — The three-time defending South Korean football champions Ulsan HD FC announced Tuesday they have hired Shin Tae-yong as their new head coach.
Shin, who coached the South Korean men’s national team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, will be coaching in the K League 1 for the first time since 2012.
Shin, 54, is taking over from Kim Pan-gon, who was let go last week after barely a year on the job.
Kim had led Ulsan HD to their third straight K League 1 title last fall as a midseason replacement for Hong Myung-bo. This year, however, Ulsan HD are unlikely to win their fourth consecutive title, as they are languishing in seventh place with 31 points, 23 behind the league-leading Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors with 14 matches remaining. Ulsan HD are winless in their past six league contests.
Shin is widely considered one of the finest players in league history, helping Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (currently Seongnam FC) to six K League titles and winning the 1995 MVP award. He holds the league record for nine appearances on the annual Best XI team.
Shin was a member of the inaugural K League Hall of Fame class in 2023.
In his post-playing career, Shin coached Seongnam to runner-up finishes in the K League and the FA Cup (currently Korea Cup) in 2009 in a caretaker role. Then as the full-time head coach in 2010, he led the club to the Asian Football Confederation Champions League title in 2010.
After leading South Korea to a 2-0 upset of Germany in the final group stage match at the 2018 World Cup, Shin took over the Indonesian men’s national team in late 2019.
Shin also coached Indonesia’s under-23 men’s Olympic team, and they knocked off South Korea in the Asian Olympic qualifying tournament in 2024, denying Shin’s home country a trip to Paris.
After leaving Indonesia earlier this year, Shin took over as part-time sporting director for Seongnam FC.
Shin said he will now shift his focus to putting Ulsan back on track.
“When I first received an offer from Ulsan, I was very happy but also felt a lot of pressure,” Shin said. “Ulsan HD have been a powerhouse in the K League for a long time. I am convinced that if we can overcome this difficult period, there will be great days ahead. I will try to rebuild the dynasty here with everything I can. We have a great team here and if fans can just trust me and wait a bit patiently, I will put this team back in title contention.”
(Yonhap)
