2016_K_League_Classic
2016 K League Classic
34th season of top-tier football league in South Korea
The 2016 K League Classic was the 34th season of the top division of South Korean professional football since its establishment in 1983, and the fourth season of the K League Classic.
Quick Facts Season, Dates ...
| Season | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 March – 6 November 2016 |
| Champions | FC Seoul (6th title) |
| Relegated | Seongnam FC Suwon FC |
| Champions League | FC Seoul Jeju United Suwon Samsung Bluewings Ulsan Hyundai |
| Matches played | 228 |
| Goals scored | 618 (2.71 per match) |
| Best Player | Jung Jo-gook |
| Top goalscorer | Jung Jo-gook (20 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Seoul 4–0 Sangju (20 March 2016) Sangju 4–0 Jeju (15 June 2016) Pohang 4–0 Ulsan (29 June 2016) |
| Biggest away win | Jeonnam 0–5 Jeonbuk (2 November 2016) |
| Highest scoring | Suwon 4–5 Suwon FC (2 October 2016) |
| Highest attendance | 47,899 Seoul 1–1 Suwon (18 June 2016) |
| Lowest attendance | 923 Sangju 0–1 Jeonnam (16 October 2016) |
| Average attendance | 7,873 |
← 2015 2017 → | |
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Locations of the 2016 K League Classic clubs
General information
More information Club, City/Province ...
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Stadiums
More information Gwangju FC, Incheon United ...
| Gwangju FC | Incheon United | Jeju United | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Jeonnam Dragons | Pohang Steelers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwangju World Cup Stadium | Incheon Football Stadium | Jeju World Cup Stadium | Jeonju World Cup Stadium | Gwangyang Football Stadium | Pohang Steel Yard |
| Capacity: 40,245 | Capacity: 20,891 | Capacity: 35,657 | Capacity: 42,477 | Capacity: 13,496 | Capacity: 17,443 |
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| Sangju Sangmu | Seongnam FC | FC Seoul | Suwon FC | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
Ulsan Hyundai |
| Sangju Civic Stadium | Tancheon Stadium | Seoul World Cup Stadium | Suwon Sports Complex | Suwon World Cup Stadium | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium |
| Capacity: 15,042 | Capacity: 16,146 | Capacity: 66,704 | Capacity: 11,808 | Capacity: 44,031 | Capacity: 44,102 |
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Managerial changes
More information Team, Outgoing ...
| Team | Outgoing | Manner | Date | Incoming | Date | Table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pohang Steelers |  Hwang Sun-hong |
End of contract | 30 November 2015 | Choi Jin-cheul |
30 November 2015 | Pre-season |
| Sangju Sangmu | Park Hang-seo |
End of contract | 11 December 2015 | Cho Jin-ho |
17 December 2015 | |
| FC Seoul | Choi Yong-soo |
Resigned | 21 June 2016 | Kim Seong-jae (caretaker) |
21 June 2016 | 2nd |
| FC Seoul | Kim Seong-jae (caretaker) |
Caretaker | 25 June 2016 | Hwang Sun-hong |
26 June 2016 | 2nd |
| Incheon United | Kim Do-hoon |
Resigned | 31 August 2016 | Lee Ki-hyung (caretaker) |
31 August 2016 | 12th |
| Pohang Steelers | Choi Jin-cheul |
Resigned | 24 September 2016 | Choi Soon-ho |
26 September 2016 | 9th |
| Jeju United | Jo Sung-hwan |
Assigned as assistant | 14 October 2016 | Kim In-soo |
14 October 2016 | 3rd |
| Jeonnam Dragons | Roh Sang-rae |
Assigned as assistant | 14 October 2016 | Song Kyung-sub |
14 October 2016 | 5th |
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Foreign players
Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player from AFC countries. A team could use four foreign players on the field each game including a least one player from the AFC confederation. Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window.
More information Club, Player 1 ...
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More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Seoul (C) | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 67 | 46 | +21 | 70 | Qualification for Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors[lower-alpha 1] | 38 | 20 | 16 | 2 | 71 | 40 | +31 | 67 | |
| 3 | Jeju United | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 71 | 57 | +14 | 59 | Qualification for Champions League group stage |
| 4 | Ulsan Hyundai | 38 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 41 | 47 | −6 | 54 | Qualification for Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Jeonnam Dragons | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 47 | |
| 6 | Sangju Sangmu | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 54 | 65 | −11 | 43 | |
| 7 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 38 | 10 | 18 | 10 | 56 | 59 | −3 | 48 | Qualification for Champions League group stage[lower-alpha 2] |
| 8 | Gwangju FC | 38 | 11 | 14 | 13 | 41 | 45 | −4 | 47 | |
| 9 | Pohang Steelers | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 43 | 46 | −3 | 46 | |
| 10 | Incheon United | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 45 | |
| 11 | Seongnam FC (R) | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 47 | 51 | −4 | 43 | Qualification for relegation play-offs |
| 12 | Suwon FC (R) | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 40 | 58 | −18 | 39 | Relegation to K League Challenge |
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Source: K League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference; 4) Wins; 5) Head-to-head points
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference; 4) Wins; 5) Head-to-head points
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Leaders
Qualification for Champions League
Qualification for relegation play-offs
Relegation to K League Challenge
Round 1–33
More information Team ╲ Round, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors ...
| Team ╲ Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| FC Seoul | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Jeju United | 1 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 11 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 7 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 2 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Seongnam FC | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Pohang Steelers | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 8 |
| Gwangju FC | 5 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Incheon United | 9 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Suwon FC | 7 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
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Source: K League
Round 34–38
More information Team ╲ Round, FC Seoul ...
| Team ╲ Round | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Seoul | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Jeju United | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| Gwangju FC | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Pohang Steelers | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
| Incheon United | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 |
| Seongnam FC | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Suwon FC | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
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Source: K League
Matches 1–22
Teams play each other twice, once at home, once away.
More information Home \ Away, GWJ ...
| Home \ Away | GWJ | ICU | JJU | JHM | JND | PHS | SJS | SEN | SEO | SUW | SSB | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwangju FC | — | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Incheon United | 0–1 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Jeju United | 3–2 | 3–1 | — | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | 3–4 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 |
| Pohang Steelers | 3–3 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 |
| Sangju Sangmu | 0–4 | 4–2 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–0 | — | 2–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| Seongnam FC | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | — | 2–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| FC Seoul | 3–2 | 3–1 | 3–4 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–0 | 1–3 | — | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Suwon FC | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–5 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–3 | — | 1–2 | 1–1 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–4 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 3–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | — |
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Source: K League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Matches 23–33
Teams play every other team once (either at home or away).
More information Home \ Away, GWJ ...
| Home \ Away | GWJ | ICU | JJU | JHM | JND | PHS | SJS | SEN | SEO | SUW | SSB | USH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwangju FC | — | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | — | — | 1–0 | — | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — |
| Incheon United | — | — | 0–1 | 1–3 | — | — | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | — |
| Jeju United | 1–2 | — | — | 2–2 | — | 3–0 | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | 1–1 |
| Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | — | — | 1–0 | — | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Jeonnam Dragons | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | — | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | — | 1–4 | — | — | — |
| Pohang Steelers | 1–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | 2–3 | — | — |
| Sangju Sangmu | — | — | 1–5 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 2–2 | 1–2 | — | 1–1 | — |
| Seongnam FC | 0–1 | — | — | — | 2–0 | 1–4 | — | — | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — |
| FC Seoul | — | — | 0–0 | 1–3 | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | 2–2 |
| Suwon FC | — | 2–0 | 5–3 | — | 0–0 | — | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | — | — | 1–2 |
| Suwon Samsung Bluewings | — | — | 5–3 | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 4–5 | — | 0–0 |
| Ulsan Hyundai | 1–1 | 2–3 | — | — | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–1 | — | — | — | — |
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Source: K League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Matches 34–38
After 33 matches, the league splits into two sections of six teams each, with teams playing every other team in their section once (either at home or away). The exact matches are determined upon the league table at the time of the split.
More information Home \ Away, JJU ...
Group A
Source: K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. |
Group B
Source: K League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
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The promotion-relegation play-offs were held between the winners of the 2016 K League Challenge play-offs and the 11th-placed club of the 2016 K League Classic. The winner on aggregate score after both matches earned entry into the 2017 K League Classic.
More information Seongnam FC, 1–1 ...
| Seongnam FC | 1–1 | Gangwon FC |
|---|---|---|
Hwang Jin-sung  77' |
Han Seok-jong 42' |
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1–1 on aggregate. Gangwon FC won on away goals and were promoted to the K League Classic, while Seongnam FC were relegated to the K League Challenge.
Top scorers
More information Rank, Player ...
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Top assist providers
More information Rank, Player ...
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Main awards
The 2016 K League Awards was held on 8 November 2016.
More information Award, Winner ...
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Source:[3]
Best XI
More information Position, Winner ...
| Position | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Kwon Sun-tae |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Defenders | Chung Woon |
Jeju United |
 Osmar |
FC Seoul | |
 Matej Jonjić |
Incheon United | |
| Ko Kwang-min |
FC Seoul | |
| Midfielders |  Leonardo |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors |
| Lee Jae-sung |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
| Kwon Chang-hoon |
Suwon Samsung Bluewings | |
| Ricardo Lopes |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | |
| Forwards | Jung Jo-gook |
Gwangju FC |
| Adriano |
FC Seoul |
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Source:[3]
Player of the Round
More information Round, Winner ...
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Manager of the Month
More information Month, Manager ...
| Month | Manager | Club | Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| March/April | Choi Yong-soo |
FC Seoul | K League Classic |
| May | Nam Ki-il |
Gwangju FC | K League Classic |
| June | Lee Heung-sil |
Ansan Mugunghwa | K League Challenge |
| July | Choi Kang-hee |
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | K League Classic |
| August | Choi Young-jun |
Busan IPark | K League Challenge |
| September | Choi Yun-kyum |
Gangwon FC | K League Challenge |
| October | Hwang Sun-hong |
FC Seoul | K League Classic |
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Attendance by club
Attendants who entered with free ticket are not counted.
More information Pos, Team ...
| Pos | Team | Total | High | Low | Average | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Seoul | 342,134 | 47,889 | 5,011 | 18,007 | +4.9%† |
| 2 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 318,921 | 33,706 | 8,022 | 16,785 | −3.6%† |
| 3 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 202,214 | 28,109 | 4,042 | 10,643 | −19.3%† |
| 4 | Ulsan Hyundai | 166,132 | 20,239 | 3,074 | 8,744 | +39.3%† |
| 5 | Pohang Steelers | 145,937 | 16,509 | 3,711 | 7,681 | −16.9%† |
| 6 | Seongnam FC | 127,860 | 14,504 | 2,968 | 6,729 | +18.8%† |
| 7 | Incheon United | 121,068 | 14,246 | 2,829 | 6,053 | +24.5%† |
| 8 | Jeju United | 108,208 | 15,341 | 1,850 | 5,695 | −12.9%† |
| 9 | Suwon FC | 83,345 | 12,825 | 1,512 | 4,387 | +223.8%† |
| 10 | Jeonnam Dragons | 78,169 | 12,808 | 1,245 | 4,114 | −5.1%† |
| 11 | Gwangju FC | 66,031 | 10,638 | 926 | 3,475 | +58.8%† |
| 12 | Sangju Sangmu | 34,976 | 4,783 | 923 | 1,943 | +57.3%† |
| League total | 1,794,995 | 47,889 | 923 | 7,873 | +2.0%† |
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Updated to games played on 6 November 2016
Source: K League
Notes:
† Teams that played previous season in K League Challenge.
Top matches
More information Rank, Date ...
| Rank | Date | Round | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 June 2016 | 15 | FC Seoul | 1–1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Seoul World Cup Stadium | 47,899 |
| 2 | 13 August 2016 | 25 | FC Seoul | 1–0 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Seoul World Cup Stadium | 36,309 |
| 3 | 6 November 2016 | 38 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 0–1 | FC Seoul | Jeonju World Cup Stadium | 33,706 |
| 4 | 12 March 2016 | 1 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 1–0 | FC Seoul | Jeonju World Cup Stadium | 32,695 |
| 5 | 30 April 2016 | 8 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 1–1 | FC Seoul | Suwon World Cup Stadium | 28,109 |
| 6 | 20 March 2016 | 2 | FC Seoul | 4–0 | Sangju Sangmu | Seoul World Cup Stadium | 25,950 |
| 7 | 28 August 2016 | 28 | FC Seoul | 1–3 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | Seoul World Cup Stadium | 24,508 |
| 8 | 24 July 2016 | 22 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–1 | Ulsan Hyundai | Jeonju World Cup Stadium | 21,437 |
| 9 | 10 August 2016 | 24 | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors | 2–1 | Suwon FC | Jeonju World Cup Stadium | 21,071 |
| 10 | 27 August 2016 | 28 | Ulsan Hyundai | 1–1 | Gwangju FC | Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium | 20,239 |
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- "Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors deducted nine K League Classic 2016 points and a fine of KRW 100,000,000 (about USD 90,852)" (in Korean). The Fact Sports. 30 September 2016.
- "Reigning champions disqualified from top Asian club football tournament". Yonhap News Agency. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- 정조국, 생애 최초 MVP 등극...감독상은 황선홍(종합). Chosun.com (in Korean). Osen. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- Official website (in English)
- Official website (in Korean)
- Review at K League (in Korean)