Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors of the K League 1 secured a decisive victory against Ulsan HD in the second Hyundai Derby of the season, vaulting into the top tier of the standings.

Jeonbuk defeated Ulsan 3-1 in the Hana Bank K League 1 Round 17 away match held at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium today (July 11).

Having suffered a 1-2 loss to Gangwon FC on July 4 in their first match following the break for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, Jeonbuk successfully turned the tide, moving up to second place behind league leaders FC Seoul.

Jeonbuk has now won both Hyundai Derby matches this season, following their 2-0 victory in the 6th round held in Jeonju on April 4.

Ulsan, which has struggled with one draw and two losses in its last three matches, has slipped to 4th place (27 points).

The opening goal came in the 30th minute of the first half.

During a counterattack initiated by Oberdan, Lee Dong-jun delivered a pass from the penalty arc, which Kim Jin-kyu finished with his right foot to take the lead.

Before Jeonbuk's counterattack began, Ulsan's Bojanic attempted to win the ball but collided with referee Kim Dae-yong, preventing him from continuing the play. Despite protests from the Ulsan side, the goal was upheld.

Jeonbuk substituted Kim Seung-seop for Lee Seung-woo at the start of the second half. In the 15th minute of the second half, Lee Seung-woo curled a right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty arc that perfectly found the bottom right corner of the net, extending the lead.

In the 34th minute of the second half, 17-year-old rookie Kim Ye-geon scored the clincher.

Kim, a third-year student at Yeongsaeng High School, Jeonbuk's Under-18 (U-18) team, signed a semi-pro contract this March and made his K League debut in the 16th round against Gangwon. This marked his first professional goal.

Ulsan, which focused its second-half attack on long balls toward Yago and Marcao, managed to pull one goal back in the 44th minute of the second half when Yago headed in a cross from Jo Hyun-taek.

Yago's goal was his 8th of the season, tying him for the lead in scoring with Lee Ho-jae (Pohang).


At the Gwangju Football Stadium, the Pohang Steelers defeated Gwangju FC 3-0, moving up to 3rd place.

Gwangju, which has recorded only one win (5 draws, 11 losses) this season, remains at the bottom of the table in 12th place with 8 points.

Gimcheon Sangmu and Bucheon FC drew 1-1 at the Gimcheon Stadium.

Bucheon remains in 9th place, while Gimcheon stays in 11th.

(Photo courtesy of Korea Professional Football League, Yonhap News)