1.59 billion won… Lee Seung-woo's Salary Is No. 1 Among Domestic K League Players, and His Comments of Trust in Poyet Resurface

Three days after their 22-match unbeaten run ended, they reached the Korea Cup final. This piece sums up Lee Seung-woo's comments about his manager from the mixed zone that day and the record of his 1.59 billion won salary.

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Summary in Three Lines

On August 27, 2025, Jeonbuk Hyundai beat Gangwon FC 2-1 to reach the Korea Cup final 3-2 on aggregate.
Lee Seung-woo put the ball in the net in the 13th minute of the second half, but the goal was disallowed for a foul.
Lee Seung-woo's salary for the 2025 season is 1.59 billion won, the highest among domestic K League players.

The team's mood flipped in just three days. Jeonbuk Hyundai's 22-match unbeaten league run ended with a 3-1 loss to Pohang Steelers on August 24, 2025, as Newsis reported. What Lee Seung-woo (28) said in the mixed zone after the match was not about tactics but about his distance from the manager.

Three Days After the End of the 22-Match Unbeaten Run: A 2-1 Comeback Away at Gangwon and a Disallowed Goal

A scene in a stadium where a player in an away kit spreads both arms and looks at the referee after a goal is disallowed — A football player protesting a decision / Photo = Pexels (Omotayo Kofoworola)

Yonhap News reported that at Gangneung Hana One Arena on August 27, Jeonbuk overcame conceding first to beat Gangwon FC with a 2-1 comeback win, advancing to the final 3-2 on aggregate over the 1st and 2nd legs. Lee Seung-woo found the net in the 13th minute of the second half, but a foul was called and the goal was disallowed.

The comments about the manager came from here. In an August 27 interview reported by Goal.com Korea, Lee Seung-woo said, "He makes his football clear, and I have no stress at all in daily life." He added, "The players know what they have to do. As that happens, trust builds."

The explanation is that the manager does not meddle in private life and gives clear instructions only about football. The same day, he also said, "The players' mood did not sink just because we lost one match." He had already spoken openly about his goal at that time. "First I want to win the league, and then try for the double in Korea with the cup competition as well," he said.

In fact, on October 18, Jeonbuk beat Suwon FC 2-0 and clinched its 10th K League 1 title overall, regardless of the remaining 5 matches. In the Korea Cup final on December 6, they beat Gwangju FC 2-1 to complete the double, and the scorer of the extra-time winner was Lee Seung-woo.

Lee Seung-woo's Salary Is 1.59 billion won, No. 1 Among Domestic K League Players

In the Korea Professional Football League's salary figures (announced 2025.12.30) reported by Newsis, Lee Seung-woo's salary for the 2025 season was 1.59 billion won, the highest among domestic players. It rose by 240 million won from 1.35 billion won in the 2024 season. Dividing the increase by the 2024 salary gives a rise of about 17.8%, and his ranking climbed three places from 4th to 1st.

Top 5 Domestic Players by Salary in the 2025 K League Season (Korea Professional Football League, as of 2025.12.30)

Rank	Player	Salary	Team
1	Lee Seung-woo	1.59 billion won	Jeonbuk Hyundai
2	Kim Young-gwon	1.48 billion won	Ulsan HD
3	Jo Hyeon-woo	1.46 billion won	Ulsan HD
4	Park Jin-seop	1.23 billion won	Jeonbuk Hyundai
5	Ju Min-gyu	1.12 billion won	Daejeon Hana Citizen

The gap to No. 2 Kim Young-gwon is 110 million won, and to No. 5 Ju Min-gyu it is 470 million won. Two of the top 5 play for Jeonbuk. Yonhap News TV reported that he left Suwon FC in July 2024 and signed a 4-year-and-6-month contract with Jeonbuk. This salary is based on the amount actually paid, which is base pay plus bonuses.

Lee Seung-woo Is 28 Years Old: From the Barcelona Youth Academy to Jeonbuk's No. 10

Lee Seung-woo was born on January 6, 1998, and as of August 10, 2026, he is 28 years old in international age. His nationality is South Korean, his position is forward (FW), and his shirt number is 10. He started out in the FC Barcelona youth academy in 2011, then went through Hellas Verona, Sint-Truiden and Portimonense before coming to the K League with Suwon FC in 2022, and he moved to Jeonbuk in July 2024.

According to official K League records, his career totals are 147 matches, 45 goals and 15 assists. At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, he won a gold medal with an extra-time goal in the final against Japan. On SBS's 'My Little Old Boy' in January 2026, he said he would give his parents a Genesis sedan as a gift.

Some points also remain unresolved. Manager Poyet, who was the subject of the remarks, is not in charge of Jeonbuk as of August 10, 2026. Yonhap News reported his resignation on December 8, 2025, and Jeonbuk appointed Jeong Jeong-yong as manager. The phrase circulating online, 'At first I couldn't trust Poyet's tactics,' has not been confirmed as an original quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How much is Lee Seung-woo's salary?

According to the club-by-club salary figures announced by the Korea Professional Football League on December 30, 2025, it is 1.59 billion won for the 2025 season, the highest among domestic players. Because it is based on the amount actually paid, which is base pay plus bonuses, it may differ from the fixed salary on the contract.

Q. How old is Lee Seung-woo?

He was born on January 6, 1998, and as of August 10, 2026, he is 28 years old in international age. According to his official K League profile, he is a forward for Jeonbuk Hyundai and wears shirt number 10.

Q. What did Lee Seung-woo say about Manager Poyet?

In the mixed zone after the second leg of the Korea Cup semifinal on August 27, 2025, he said, "He makes his football clear, and I have no stress at all in daily life," and "The players know what they have to do. As that happens, trust builds."

Related Official Sites

K LEAGUE Official Player Record for Lee Seung-woo — You can check his career appearances, goals and assists in the original data
K LEAGUE Official Website — Official league releases, including standings and club-by-club salary figures
Korea Football Association Official Website — Information on the Korea Cup draw and national team call-up lists

Main image · Graphic = Whale SV · Background photo = Wikimedia Commons (Republic of Korea), CC BY-SA 2.0