Ulsan HD has successfully completed its winter training in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Ulsan aims to show the best performance in the four tournaments, including the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite (2025/2026 ACLE), the FIFA Club World Cup, and the Korea Cup, which will start anew with the crown prince with four consecutive K League 1 losses this season.
He began to quench the 2025 season in Dubai from the 6th, and returned home through Incheon International Airport after finishing it on the 27th.
Kim Young-kwon will lead Cho Hyun-woo, Ko Seung-bum and his juniors as the captain of the "full season," which is the first time under Kim Pan-gon. Blue Dragon Lee Chung-yong is also expected to accompany him and take the center stage of the team.
Above all, Ulsan has added a lot of new faces, adding to its youth and mobility. It transfused Lee Hee-kyun, Heo Yul, Kang Sang-woo, Lee Jin-hyun, Signature Hall, Lee Jae-ik, Yoon Jong-kyu, Park Min-seo, Yoon Jae-seok, and Venezuela's national team Mathias Lacava to reinforce their positions.
Coach Kim Pan-gon vowed to make the K League 1 stage with his heavier front foot in the 2025 season with "dominant soccer that prevents the opponent from breathing," and make a splash at ACLE and the Club World Cup.
The secretariat, led by CEO Kim Kwang-guk, is also preparing for the new season with high expectations and excitement. Kim joined HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in 1994, worked at the culture and ship sales departments, and has been in charge of press promotion at its PR office in Seoul since 2000. He has been leading the soccer team since November 2014.
At the time of his inauguration, CEO Kim Kwang-guk said, "We will do our best to make young soccer fans visit more soccer fields so that professional soccer can be activated in the Ulsan region."
As time passed, Ulsan kept its promise. From 2022 to 2024, it became the first team to win the title for three consecutive years, and made good performances in the ACLE stage to even qualify for the newly reorganized FIFA Club World Cup.
As a former public relations man, CEO Kim Kwang-guk helped Ulsan HD go beyond Ulsan to become a popular club nationwide.
For the 2024 season, Ulsan drew 353,615 spectators from 19 home games. With an average of 18,611, it broke the previous season's record (345,990 for 19 home games in the 2023 season, with an average attendance of 18,210). Considering that Ulsan Metropolitan City, home to Ulsan, has a population of about 1.1 million, one in three citizens visited the stadium. He is flapping his wings by overcoming the limitations of non-metropolitan clubs.
This led to the increase in sales including sponsors, admission fees, and MD of the club. Ulsan recorded 37.3 billion won (31 million U.S. dollars) in sales during the 2022 season, and the increase to 41 billion won (41 million dollars) for the 2023 season. It reached 48 billion won (41 million dollars) for the 2024 season, up 17 percent from the 2023 season.
As such, Ulsan has displayed "performance" through outstanding performance on the ground. The secretariat is creating a fantastic harmony with "performance" outside the ground, as well as strong support from the team.
CEO Kim Kwang-guk is famous as a representative, playing on his feet not only among K-League but also among clubs playing in Asia.
Representative Kim Kwang-guk visited Dubai, Ulsan's 2025 season winter training site, in person. He arrived in Dubai early on the 21st in Korean time, and as soon as he unpacked his luggage at the accommodation, he immediately watched the pre-match and practice game held at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai. Although he could have been tired of long-distance flights, he said, "The team is sweating like this, but I couldn't relax in the accommodation, so I ran right away."
CEO Kim Kwang-guk, who encouraged the team, met with Dubai HD Hyundai Heavy Industries branch manager (Kwak Ji-eun) on the 22nd to share the news of the soccer team and its parent company and set up a "win-win" opportunity for each other.
On Sunday evening, he watched the Al Wasl match with Sharjah, which also includes Jung Seung-hyun, a youth player from Ulsan. Jung showed his sincerity by inviting Kim and other officials in person. Earlier, Jung visited a winter training site in Ulsan to greet and encourage his teammates. On the day, Kim visited facilities and MD shops at Al Wasl Stadium to check the operation status of the UAE professional league team.
At noon on the 23rd, Jung invited Kim Kwang-guk to have a meal in person. "I learned and grew up in Ulsan. You've come all the way here, so of course, it's right to say hello and treat you to delicious food," Jung said.
CEO Kim Kwang-guk said, "Jung Seung-hyun is a blessing to the club as he was a former youth player. His affection for Ulsan is extraordinary. I hope he doesn't get hurt and plays soccer in good health."
Kim Kwang-guk had a busy schedule in Dubai. On Sunday evening, the Ulsan team had a recreation session. Through the presentation, Kim shared his team's goals and vision for the 2025 season. This event has been continued since last year, and it was an opportunity for the secretariat and the team to communicate with each other. In particular, this season was all the more meaningful as many new players joined the team.
After watching a practice game with Lokomotiv Moscow on Saturday, Kim immediately headed to Dubai International Airport and boarded a plane bound for Korea. He reportedly returned to Ulsan after returning the Lunar New Year holiday and is concentrating on his work.
During his overseas business trips such as winter training and ACLE elite expeditions, Kim will meet with players at stadiums, clubhouses, general facilities related to soccer, and officials involved. For example, he visited the clubhouse in February last year ahead of an away match against Kofu Banpo Re. It took him seven hours to make a round trip by car. This reporter checked the environment of the Japanese J-League, including its facilities and grass conditions. 토토사이트
With Kim Kwang-guk running on his feet and setting an example, the secretariat is running smoothly like a cog. Ulsan put up placards reading "higher performance, more victories" and "Challenge beyond Thrones," before departing for Dubai. The team completed the winter training without any injuries or defectors. The secretariat is administratively fully prepared.