Hong Myung-bo is a South Korean football manager and former footballer who played as a sweeper. Hong is often considered one of the greatest Asian footballers of all time. He is the current manager of South Korea national team.
Yoo Sang-chul was a South Korean football player and manager. Yoo was regarded as one of the greatest South Korean midfielders of all time. He was selected as a midfielder of the 2002 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team and K League 30th Anniversary Best XI.
Choi Yong-soo is a South Korean professional football manager and former player. He competed for South Korea at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Lee Woon-jae is a South Korean former football goalkeeper. He was part of South Korea's 1994, 2002, 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup campaigns. He was the only Asian player nominated for the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper of the 21st Century (2001–2011).
Seo Jung-won is a South Korean football manager and former player, currently in charge of Chengdu Rongcheng.
Kim Byung-ji is a former football goalkeeper who played for the South Korea national team as well as several clubs in the K League. He was noted for his unique hair style which looked like the tail of a bird.
Hwang Sun-hong is a South Korean former football player and current manager of the South Korea national under-23 football team and manager of Daejeon Hana Citizen. He was the most notable South Korean striker in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Lee Ki-hyung is a South Korean professional football manager and former player who is the current manager of Yanbian Longding.
Ko Jong-soo is a South Korean football coach and former player.
Kim Do-hoon is a South Korean professional football manager and former player. He played for the South Korean national team at the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.
Lee Dong-gook is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is a record scorer in the K League 1, and had brief spells in Europe with Werder Bremen and Middlesbrough. He also played for the South Korea national football team at two FIFA World Cups and three AFC Asian Cups.
Ha Seok-ju is a South Korean football manager and former player. Ha was one of the few left-footed South Korean players at the time.
Kim Tae-young is a South Korean football manager and former player who played as a defender.
Kim Joo-sung is a former South Korean football player. Kim is regarded as one of the greatest Asian footballers of the 20th century. He was nominated for the IFFHS Asia's Player of the Century, finishing second place.
Ko Jeong-woon is a South Korean football manager and former player. He was South Korea's most threatening forward in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. His tireless dribbles made Spain and Germany difficult to keep solid defence, and sent off Miguel Ángel Nadal. That year, he also showed his best performances in the K League, winning the title and the MVP award. He interested Bayer Leverkusen, and negotiated with them in Germany after the end of the season. However, Ilhwa's director strongly opposed and scuttled Ko's deal, and the cancellation became his lifelong resentment. He is currently manager of Gimpo FC.
The 1996 Korean Professional Football League was the 14th season of K League since its establishment in 1983. South Korean government and the Korean Professional Football Federation introduced a decentralization policy to proliferate the popularity of football nationally in preparation for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which they wanted to host, so some clubs located in the capital Seoul moved to other cities according to the new policy in this season.
Kang Chul is a former South Korean football player who played as a left-back. He played for South Korea in two Summer Olympics and two AFC Asian Cups. After retirement, he became an assistant manager under Hwang Sun-hong for a long time. In the 2013 Korean FA Cup, he was named the best manager after leading Pohang Steelers to win the final instead of Hwang who was sent off.
Shin Hong-gi is a South Korean former professional footballer. He played as a left-back for Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i and Suwon Samsung Bluewings. He was also selected for the South Korea national team for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, playing three World Cup matches.
An Ik-soo is a South Korean football manager and former player.
The K League Best XI is an award for the best eleven players in a K League season.
