Gimpo FC and Chungbuk Cheongju FC of South Korea's second-tier K League 2 have narrowly secured the right to compete in the top-flight K League 1 in the 2027 season. Both approvals, however, came with conditions attached, after reviewers found shortcomings in financial transparency and stadium safety — basic requirements for running a club.
The Korea Professional Football League said on the 14th that its club licensing committee had released the results of its review of 2027 season K League 1 licences, held on the 12th. Of the 29 clubs that applied, 28 were approved, with Gimpo and Chungbuk Cheongju classified as conditional approvals.
The most striking finding concerned Gimpo's accounting. The external audit reports the club has submitted to the league each year were found to omit key financial matters entirely, including embezzlement allegations that surfaced from 2023. The committee concluded that the credibility of the existing reports had been compromised and issued the licence on the condition that a fresh external audit be conducted.
The review did not rule on the substance of the embezzlement allegations. With judicial proceedings and a special audit by the city of Gimpo under way at the same time, the league says it may consider separate follow-up measures once the courts rule and the audit findings are released. Should the facts be established, a re-examination of the licence or sanctions cannot be ruled out.
For Chungbuk Cheongju, the issue was safety defects at its home ground, Cheongju Sports Complex. Some seating areas and entrances at the stadium are currently closed on a temporary basis. The committee ordered the club to submit a renovation implementation plan no later than 30 days before its 2027 season home opener, and said it would inspect compliance at that point before deciding again whether to approve the staging of home matches. If the plan is not met, the club could be barred from using the stadium altogether.
The only club denied a licence was Gimcheon Sangmu. Its hosting agreement with the city of Gimcheon expires at the end of the 2026 season, leaving the military club unable to meet the requirements for a 2027 K League 1 licence. Sangmu has already been confirmed for relegation to K League 2 in 2027 regardless of its K League 1 finish this season, and is currently searching for a new host city.