The turn of the year has seen the transfer market in the K-League gather momentum. Players and coaches have returned from their end of season vacations and teams are starting their winter training camps.
The first week of 2012 saw two big deals involving midfielders who may not be quite automatic starters for the national team but are never too far from the first eleven.

It didn't come as a surprise. Jeonbuk Motors led the K-league from early in the season and were the best team for most of it. Choi Kang-hee's men should have won the Asian title too but had to make do with the domestic title to add to the 2009 crown.
The inevitable came to pass on December 4 in the second leg of the Championship play-off final against Ulsan Horangi.

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors are South Korean champions for the second time in three years following their play-off triumph over Ulsan Hyundai.

Jeonbuk were huge favourites going into this year's final having finished top of the regular season standings whilst their opponents Ulsan had knocked out FC Seoul, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Pohang Steelers en route to this year's showpiece.

The 2011 AFC Asian Champions League has reached the quarter-final stages with the first legs taking place today. As has been the case in recent years South Korean clubs feature prominently in the last eight of the competition with FC Seoul, Suwon Samsung Bluewings and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors involved this time.

With two-thirds of the K-League regular season completed the championship is reaching the business end in South Korea. Unlike most footballing top-flight divisions, the K-League determines its winners by a post-season play-off system in which the top six battle it out for the title. With 20 of the 30 regular season rounds played only league leaders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and second placed Pohang Steelers seem to be virtually assured of their play-off places.

The Round of 16 in the 2011 AFC Champions League was completed over the last two days.

South Korea remains the strongest nation in the competition with three clubs representing the K-League in the quarter-final stages. K-League title holders FC Seoul defeated record Japanese champions Kashima Antlers by three goals to nil with goals from Hwan, Dejan Damjanović and Ko sealing their passage through to the last eight.

Players come and go in the K-League, especially those from overseas. There is an incredibly high turnover of playing staff in South Korea, teams can virtually change their entire starting elevens from season to season.
Hiring players is not, of course, an exact science. Some succeed and some don't for a variety of reasons.

Having read what my fellow blogger Arief blogged earlier on in his blog, I received this press release from "Football Management International & Trebol Sport International" that reads

We are pleased to announce that Bangkok Glass has signed our player, Sylvain Idangar on a 2-year contract for an undisclosed fee for the Thai Premier League season 2011.