This image provided by Daejeon Hana Citizen FC on June 3, 2024, shows the K League 1 club’s new head coach, Hwang Sun-hong. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jun. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — Daejeon Hana Citizen FC announced Monday they have reunited Hwang Sun-hong as their new head coach.
This will be Hwang’s second tour of duty with the K League 1 club, having previously coached them in 2020.
Hwang, 55, is replacing Lee Min-sung, who resigned on May 21 with Daejeon stuck in last place in the 12-team league with two wins, five draws and six losses.
With the senior assistant coach Chung Kwang-seok acting as caretaker manager, Daejeon posted one win and two losses. They are currently in 11th place with 14 points from three wins, five draws and eight losses. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Daejeon and Daegu FC all have 14 points apiece, with the goals scored tiebreaker separating them in the tables.
Daejeon were promoted from the K League 2 before the 2023 season and they finished in eighth place in their first season with the big boys. This year, though, they are in danger of being relegated back to the second division.
Daejeon are tied for the second-fewest goals in the league with 15 and have the second-worst goal difference at -7.
Hwang, one of South Korea’s premier strikers in his playing days, boasts a strong coaching resume. He led Pohang Steelers to the FA Cup title in 2012, and then guided them to a domestic double in 2013, as they bagged both the K League title and the FA Cup trophy.
Hwang earned his second K League title as coach with FC Seoul in 2016. He was voted the K League Coach of the Year in 2013 and again in 2016.
In his first turn as Daejeon’s head coach, Hwang had eight wins, six draws and four losses. He also had a coaching stop in China.
Internationally, Hwang led South Korea’s under-23 national team to the gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.
“Hwang Sun-hong is a veteran coach with a wealth of experience both at home and overseas, and also with the national team,” Daejeon said in a statement. “We felt he was the right person to lead the club out of a difficult situation and bring stability. We are counting on him to demonstrate his leadership.”
Hwang said grabbing Daejeon’s reins again felt like “a homecoming.”
“I’d like to thank the club for giving me this opportunity at such an important juncture. I am taking this job with a great sense of responsibility,” Hwang said. “I will try to make the most of my experience and help right the ship as quickly as possible. I will work closely with everyone in the club to overcome this adversity and to realize our vision for the future.”
At his most recent coaching gig, Hwang’s U-23 national squad failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics in April. He had been a strong candidate to fill the head coaching vacancy at the men’s senior national team before getting dropped out of consideration after South Korea’s early elimination at the Olympic qualifying tournament.
Daejeon said Hwang will have his introductory press conference Wednesday at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul. The K League has entered an international break and Daejeon’s next match will be June 15 against Pohang.
(Yonhap)
