Daejeon Korail FC is a South Korean football club based in

Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology an ...

. The team currently plays in the

K3 League The K3 League is the third tier of South Korean football league system, which was created from the rebranding of the Korea National League (2003–2019) and the former K3 League (2007–2019) into K3 League and K4 League in 2020. 16 teams ...

, the third tier of

South Korean football league system The South Korean football league system contains two professional leagues, two semi-professional leagues, and various amateur leagues for Korean football clubs. The highest level of football in South Korea is the K League 1, which was founded in ...

. It is owned and operated by Korea Railroad Corporation, South Korea's national railroad operator. Their home venue is

Daejeon Hanbat Sports Complex Daejeon Hanbat Sports Complex ( ko, 대전한밭종합운동장) is a sports complex, comprising a multi-purpose stadium (including athletic facilities and a soccer pitch), a ballpark, Basketball courts, tennis courts and various other sports f ...

History

After being founded in 1943 by the Chosen Government Railway as ''Chosen Government Railway FC'' (Korean: 조선총독부 철도국 축구단), the team competed in various semi-professional football competitions throughout decades until they joined the

Korea National League The Korea National League was a South Korean semi-professional football league held annually from 2003 to 2019. It was considered the second-highest division of the South Korean football league system before the K League 2 was launched in 201 ...

in 2003. In 1948, the club changed its name to Ministry of Transportation FC after Joseon Railways was absorbed into

Ministry of Transportation A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

by the

South Korean government The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is the ...

. The club was inactive during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

and was re-established in 1961 or 1962. It was renamed ''National Railroad FC'' (Korean: 철도청 축구단) in 1963 and ''Korea Railroad FC'' (Korean: 한국철도 축구단) in 1995. In 2004, to comply with Korea National League's club naming policy, the club added the team's location to its name, changing the name to ''Incheon Korea Railroad FC'' (Korean: 인천 한국철도 축구단). After Korea National Railroad was renamed to Korail, the club's name was also changed again to ''Incheon Korail FC'' (Korean: 인천 코레일 축구단) during the 2007 season. At the end of the 2013 season, the club has been renamed to Daejeon Korail FC after the team's relocation from Incheon to

. The team has played in the Korea National League between 2003 and 2019, when the league merged with the

. They won the 2005 season with a 4–2 aggregate victory over Suwon City in the final. In the

Korean FA Cup The Korean FA Cup is a national football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the FA Cup was established in 1996, two predecessor competitions named All Joseon Football Tournament ...

, the team reached the quarter-finals in 2001 and the semi-finals in 2005. In the 2019 edition, the team reached the final, where they lost 4–0 on aggregate to the top division side

Suwon Samsung Bluewings The Suwon Samsung Bluewings ( ko, 수원 삼성 블루윙즈) are a South Korean Association football, football club based in Suwon that competes in the K League 1, the top tier of South Korean football. Founded in December 1995, they have won t ...

Honours

League

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

::Winners (2):

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

::Runners-up (1):

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Cups

::Runners-up (1):

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

* National League Championship ::Winners (3):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

::Runners-up (1): 2016 * National Sports Festival ::Gold Medal (3): 2000, 2001, 2011 * National Football Championship ::Runners-up (1): 2000 * President's Cup ::Runners-up (1): 2004

Season-by-season records

Current squad

''As of 1 July 2022.''

References

External links

at korail.com {{K3 League Railway association football clubs in South Korea, Korea (South) Korea National League clubs Sport in Daejeon Association football clubs established in 1943 1943 establishments in Korea Korail K3 League clubs