2025 Season Review: Ulsan HD

Three managers, 12 fewer wins than the champions, 16 losses, and the third-fewest goals scored. It was a disaster of a 2025 Hana Bank K League 1 season for Ulsan HD, finishing ninth and only surviving relegation on the last day.

What Went Well

Ulsan avoided the relegation playoffs, the indignity of what could have been. That is about as good as it gets domestically after what has been a very strange season, a relative disaster. Finishing ninth with safety only secured on the final day, and only done so via default with results elsewhere going their way, represents a dark year for a club that had come off three consecutive K League title wins.  The Horangi's ACLE campaign has been decent, though, with two wins, two draws, and two losses so far, and they are just about on course to reach the knockouts.

What Didn't Go Well

The generation shift didn't pan out, nor did two managerial appointments. Kim Pan-gon was shown the door, then not long after, so was Shin Tae-yong. There appears to have been dressing room unrest as a result of said managerial appointments, meaning academy director and former Jeonnam manager Noh Sang-rae who was appointed caretaker, in an underwhelming pick as can be, had a thankless task on his hands to steer this juggernaut away from danger. Across the three managers, Kim Pan-gon earned eight wins, Shin Tae-yong just one, and Noh Sang-rae three.

Things weren't looking too bad for Ulsan until the build-up to the Club World Cup, but three losses in the U.S., having departed for the tournament on the back of a defeat, seemed to create a snowball effect that just couldn't be slowed down. The Horangi were toothless and went on a run of 11 without a win, but then a 1-0 victory over Jeju was followed up with three straight losses and a run of seven without a win in the league. Once the going got tough, even with the experience of Kim Young-gwon, Lee Chung-yong, Jo Hyeon-woo, Jung Woo-young, and the like, Ulsan just could not get out of that rut.

A lack of firepower meant Ulsan were the joint-second lowest scorers in Final B and third-lowest overall.

Young Player of the Year

Choi Seok-hyeon, defender

Choi Seok-hyeon's versatility gets him the nod for Ulsan's young player of the year ahead of winger Yoon Jae-seok (30 apps, 1 goal), and attacking midfielder Back In-woo (12 apps, 1 goal). Choi looked confident enough to slot in as either a right-sided centre back in a three or right back in a four, he even popped up at left midfield on a couple of occasions. Choi made 23 appearances and had his best run from July to October, featuring in nine of 11 games from Round 23 to 32. The signing of Jung Seung-hyun has pushed Choi down the pecking order, leaving him as third or fourth choice to partner Kim Young-gwon, but it was a solid second season for the 22-year-old, first at K League 1 level.

Team MVP

Darijan Bojanic, midfielder

He was accused of being too tidy a footballer, not gritty enough for a relegation battle with his "pretty technique" by then-manager Shin Tae-yong, but Swedish central midfielder Darijan Bojanic was a very important player for Ulsan again this year. With a lot of sideways passes and a lack of direction in Ulsan's midfield at times, Bojanic offers a less shackled approach, gliding from box to box. Without the Swede in central midfield, Ulsan were often guilty of sticking to a 4/4 in musical terms, but Bojanic has the chops to play more expressively, in 5/4 or maybe 7/8 at the right moments. He should be central to Ulsan's rebuild for 2026.

Most Disappointing Player

Lee Jin-hyun, attacking midfielder

The signing of Lee Jin-hyun looked like a real coup with the former Pohang, Daegu, and Daejeon attacking midfielder returning to K League from a one-year spell in Poland. He would have had plenty of suiters for his signature, but for whatever reason, Lee Jin-hyun just never got going in a Ulsan shirt.  The same could be said for a lot of Ulsan's recruits in 2025, but with three managers and a lot of off-the-field drama, it's perhaps understandable. Lee managed one goal and two assists in the league, but is a player who managed three goals and six assists for Daejeon in 2023 before departing for Ekstraklasa side Puszcza Niepolomice, and just doesn't become a bad player overnight.

Most Important Decision of the Off-Season

Finding the silver lining of 2025 is that it can't get much worse for Ulsan. Club legend Kim Hyun-seok has been appointed as manager, so there should be some goodwill among the supporters for the time being. Kim should at least be given time to shape this squad. Ulsan have a big squad, even with key departures like Gustav Ludwigson and Um Won-sang, so it may be more about the shape Kim opts to set this Ulsan team up in. Last season with Jeonnam Dragons, Kim used a 5-3-2 for the most part but a back three was used by 11 times last year by two different managers, yielding just two wins. During Kim's highly successful season at Chungnam Asan in 2024, which saw the Owls finish second, his system was more of a 4-3-3 with some tendency to use a back three. Do Ulsan have the wingbacks for a back three/five? Homework for Kim Hyun-seok.