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| Sangju Sangmu's midfielder Moon Seon-min celebrates after scoring a goal during the K League 1 match against Busan IPark at Sangju Civic Stadium, Aug. 9. / Courtesy of K League |
By Jhoo Dong-chan
It is something no one ever expected to see ― Sangju Sangmu competing for the K League 1's top-four spot as the season remains only two games for each team.
Sangju Sangmu is one of the most unique football clubs in the world, as the roster is made up entirely of loanees from other K League teams who are currently performing their 20-month military service. So it does not have any autonomy in deciding who joins and leaves the club.
A number of football analysts had been pessimistic about the outlook of the club's performance this year because the military team is destined to be demoted to K League 2 next season under the K League rules, as it decided to move out of Sangju to set up in Gimcheon.
Regardless of its demotion, Sangju players have shown more than 100 percent throughout the season, and are now holding fourth place in the top league. Of its 35 players, former South Korean international Moon Seon-min is leading the club's cruise.
Moon has notched five goals and four assists in 20 games this season. He had been off the pitch for a while earlier this season due to injury, but managed to find his form mid-season.
In the K League 1 15th-round match against Busan IPark, the 28-year-old dribbled past the opposition's entire defense line to score the winning goal in the 73rd minute. Winning 69.5 percent of the votes from K League fans, it was selected as the goal of the month in August.
Starting his professional football career in third-tier Swedish club Ostersunds FK in 2012, Moon came back to Korea in 2016, signing for Incheon United. He scored 18 goals in 67 games with Incheon.
In January 2019, Moon signed with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors where he scored 10 goals in 32 games before he was drafted to Sangju Sangmu.
