Incheon United announced that they have appointed Yoon Jong-hwan, the K League 1 Coach of the Year, as their new manager.
Yoon, 51, takes over at Incheon after parting ways with Gangwon FC earlier this month, reportedly due to an unresolved salary dispute. Having taken charge of Gangwon in July 2023, Yoon transformed the team, which had barely survived in the top tier through the promotion-relegation playoffs in 2023, into a dominant force this year. Under his leadership, Gangwon achieved a runner-up finish in the league—its best-ever result—earning Yoon the prestigious coaching title.
The veteran manager will lead Incheon's quest for promotion to the K League 1 next year. The team faced relegation to the K League 2 for the first time after finishing at the bottom of the table with a 2-1 loss to Daejeon Hana Citizen in the penultimate match of the 2024 campaign.
Yoon has about 16 years of coaching experience. After 12 years of playing in the K League and J League, he started his coaching career at Japanese club Sagan Tosu's youth team in 2008. He later became the team’s assistant manager and was named manager in 2011.
He took the helm of K League side Ulsan Hyundai, now Ulsan HD, in 2015 and left the team a year later, going on to coach Japanese club Cerezo Osaka and Thai squad Muangthong United.
Following a stint with Japanese team JEF United Ichihara Chiba from 2020 to 2022, he made his return to the K League by taking charge of Gangwon last year.
Yoon will start training with the Incheon squad on Thursday in preparation for his overseas training in Thailand next year.
Incheon must win K League 2 to earn promotion to K League 1, as only the winners secure a direct spot in the top tier. The other two teams will have to compete in playoffs against K League 1 sides to earn their place in the first division.