8 assists career high...Lee Myung-jae's 8 assists helped Daejeon win its first home match against Jeonbuk in 18 years
Lee Myung-jae (32) assisted on Masa's equalizing goal in the October 9 match against Jeonbuk. With 8 assists this season, a personal best, Daejeon defeated Jeonbuk 2-1 at home for the first time in 18 years.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-line summary
- Lee Myung-jae exceeded his personal single-season assist record with 1 goal and 8 assists in 24 K League 1 matches in the 2026 season (previous record: 5).
- On October 9 against Jeonbuk, Masa headed in Lee Myung-jae's cross, and Daejeon won 2-1 with Diogo's go-ahead goal.
- Lee Dong-gyeong leads with 11 assists, and Lee Myung-jae ties with Kim Dae-won at 8 assists (as of October 12, 2026).
8 assists. The left fullback in his second year with Daejeon broke through the 5-assist barrier he never exceeded during his 10 seasons at Ulsan.K League official recordsLee Myung-jae (32, Daejeon Hana Citizen)'s 2026 K League 1 record is 24 matches 1 goal8 assists(as of October 12, 2026). That's 3 more than his previous best of 5 assists. A 60% increase. One of those was the assist on the equalizing goal in the October 9 match against Jeonbuk.
Lee Myung-jae's 8 assists, season's first goal, 4 consecutive matches with an attacking point through Pohang match
Lee Myung-jae had recorded assists in 3 consecutive matches when he played against Pohang Steelers on September 12. In the 43rd minute of the second half, he scored his first goal of the season with a left-footed free kick, and the match ended 2-2. According to OhMystar's reporting, it was his 4th consecutive match with an attacking point. In comments reported on September 13 after the Pohang match, he said: "I'm aiming for the assist title, but now I scored my first goal of the season! I'll keep scoring goals and adding assists."
| Season | Team | Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Ulsan | 32 | 0 | 5 |
| 2023 | Ulsan | 30 | 0 | 5 |
| 2025 | Daejeon | 15 | 2 | 3 |
| 2026 | Daejeon | 24 | 1 | 8 |
Daejeon defeats Jeonbuk 2-1 in comeback victory, first home win in 18 years
Daejeon fell behind first in the match against Jeonbuk. They conceded the opening goal to Tiago in the 45th minute of the first half. In the second half, Lee Myung-jae's left-sided cross was headed in by Masa (31), a key figure in Suwon FC's promotion in 2020, to make it 1-1. In the 39th minute of the second half (according to Spotv News), 194cm forward Diogo scored the go-ahead goal. The scoring time isSpotv Newsreports the 11th and 39th minutes of the second half, while Jungdo Ilbo reports the 10th and 38th minutes, each differing by 1 minute.
According to Jungdo Ilbo, Daejeon's home victory over Jeonbuk was the first since 200818 years. Coach Hwang Seon-hong said immediately after the match: "We needed a win, and although we had some difficulties, the players worked hard." Daejeon extended their unbeaten run to 6 matches. With 11 wins, 10 draws, and 10 losses, they are in 5th place with 43 points. They are 1 point behind 4th-place Jeonbuk (44 points) (as of the end of the October 9, 2026 match).
Lee Myung-jae's assists ranking and September Player of the Month candidates
| Rank | Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee Dong-gyeong | Ulsan HD | 11 |
| Needs verification | Kim Dae-won | Gangwon FC | 8 |
| Needs verification | Lee Myung-jae | Daejeon Hana Citizen | 8 |
In data extracted from K League's official records, the assist leader isLee Dong-gyeong (11 assists)(as of October 12, 2026; reconfirmation needed). On September 13, when he was in 3rd place with 6 assists, there was a 4-assist gap with 1st place. Subtracting 8 from 11, the gap is now 3 assists, reduced by 1 over the past month.
| Candidate | Team | Matches | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Myung-jae | Daejeon | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Lee You-hyeon | Gangwon | 5 | - | 1 |
| Italo | Jeju | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Clímala | Seoul | 4 | 3 | - |
The Korea Professional Football Association selected Lee Myung-jae as one of 4 candidates for the "EA SPORTS September Player of the Month" award. This is his first candidacy since his professional debut. In the 4 evaluation matches (rounds 27-30), he recorded 1 goal and 3 assists, and his name appeared in the Round Best 11 three times.
Lee Myung-jae, born November 4, 1993, joined Ulsan in 2014. During his 10 seasons in K League 1 with Ulsan, he recorded 193 matches, 1 goal, and 27 assists. He was selected as the K League 1 Best 11 left defender in 2024 and appeared in 7 A-match games (as of February 2025).
As of the end of the October 9 match, Daejeon is 1 point behind 4th-place Jeonbuk in the Final A ranking battle. Lee Myung-jae remains in contention for the assist title, 3 assists behind leader Lee Dong-gyeong, and the September Player of the Month fan voting ended on October 11.
Related official websites
- K League official homepage — Lee Myung-jae's player record — Verify season-by-season match, goal, and assist records directly
- K League official player rankings — Latest statistics for assist and scoring rankings
- Daejeon Hana Citizen official homepage — Match schedule and official team news
Featured image · archival photo · not a live photo from the current match in the article · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (User:Jujeoncha), CC BY-SA 3.0
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