Several K-League clubs have moved quickly into the transfer market to snap up big-name Asian Football Confederation stars to fill the new 'Asian Quota' squad slot available ahead of the 2009 season, with reigning champions Suwon Samsung Bluewings snapping up one of the biggest stars in Chinese football.
Central defender Li Weifeng has joined Cha Bum-keun's side on a one-year deal having been with Wuhan Guanggu in the 2008 season. Li, capped 105 times for the national team, will fill the gap left in the centre of the Suwon defence by the departure of Mato Neretljak to Japanese side Omiya Ardija and becomes the first Chinese player to sign for a K-League side.
Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and Incheon United have both looked to Australia to strengthen their defence, with Seongnam signing Adelaide United's 29 year-old stopper Sasa Ognenovski and Incheon poaching Jade North from Newcastle Jets.
2009 K-League debutants Gangwon FC have brought Masahiro Ohashi across the sea from Japan, with the ex-Kawasaki Frontale midfielder joining up in Choi Soon-ho's brand new squad.
With just over six weeks to go until the start of the new season more clubs are likely to swoop for AFC stars to bolster their squad for the new campaign, but a number of established K-League stars have switched sides and indeed leagues for the new season.
Joining Neretljak at Omiya in Japan are Pohang midfielder Park Won-jae and Incheon United manager Jang Woe-ryong, who has been replaced in the Incheon hotseat by former Serbian national team coach Ilija Petkovic. In addition to Petkovic and North, Incheon have also added Macedonian international striker Dragan Cadikovski and Daejeon forward Kim Min-su to their squad along with Busan midfielder Do Hwa-sung and all-time K-League record goalscorer Woo Sung-yong.
Shin Tae-yong, the man brought in to replace Kim Hak-bum as Seongnam manager, has made sweeping changes to the Seongnam squad with Lee Dong-guk and Kim Sang-sik both offloaded to Jeonbuk as well as Mota, Dudu and Juan Carlos Arce all shown the door. Lee Ho has been brought back to Korea from Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg, and Montenegran forward Dzenan Radoncic has moved to Chunma from Incheon with Son Dae-ho going in the opposite direction.
Ulsan have also undergone a change of management with 2005 title-winning coach Kim Jung-nam stepping down to be replaced by Kim Ho-gon.
2002 World Cup squad member Lee Eul-yong has left FC Seoul to join the new football revolution in his native Gangwon, and Daegu's Brazilian forward Enio Oliveira Junior has moved to Jeonbuk. Busan will field a trio of Samba stars in 2009 after confirming that Guara and Fabio will remain at the club and will be joined by Jeju forward Romulo Marques Macedo. Jeju have also added a couple of Brazilians, snapping up Ricardo Weslei de Campelo from Atletico Paranaense and Gilvan Gomes Vieira from Georgian side FC Zestaponi.
After just one season with Jeonbuk, Jo Jae-jin has returned to Japan in a big-money deal to sign for Gamba Osaka, and Pohang's FA Cup-winning captain Jo Sung-hwan has followed him across the water to Consadole Sapporo. Back-up Suwon striker Shin Young-rok will also be playing overseas as he has joined Turkish side Bursaspor.
