New Suwon Samsung head coach emphasizes process over outcome

New Suwon Samsung Bluewings head coach Lee Jung-hyo poses during his inauguration ceremony in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap

Lee Jung-hyo, new head coach for Suwon Samsung Bluewings, said Friday he will try to highlight the importance of focusing on the process rather than the outcome with his players, as he takes over a once-proud club trying to return to their glory days.

Lee was formally introduced as Suwon Samsung's new bench boss Friday, after the K League 2 club announced their signing of the 50-year-old tactician on Christmas Eve.

"I am honored that a club with such a rich history and tradition chose me," Lee said at his introductory press conference in the team's home city of Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. "It's difficult to describe in words just how warmly everyone here has welcomed me. They showed me so much respect and I couldn't help but be moved by the way they treated me."

Lee previously coached another K League outfit, Gwangju FC, from 2022 to 2025. In his first season there, Gwangju FC won the K League 2 title to earn direct promotion to the top-flight K League 1 for 2023.

They have since been able to stay in the top league for three straight seasons, defying expectations that they would be lucky to avoid relegation back to the lower league. In 2025, Gwangju reached the final of the Korea Cup — the top national tournament — and the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League Elite.

Over the past three seasons, few coaches accomplished more with less at their disposal than Lee, whose Gwangju FC were chronically underfunded during his time. And Suwon Samsung, four-time K League 1 champions, will bank on this kind of track record of success as they look to climb back to the top competition next year.

New Suwon Samsung Bluewings head coach Lee Jung-hyo poses wearing the K League 2 club's shirt during his inauguration ceremony in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap

They suffered direct relegation by finishing dead last in the K League 1 in 2023, becoming by far the most decorated club to suffer that fate since the league introduced the promotion-relegation system in 2013. They finished sixth in the K League 2 in 2024 to fall short of qualifying for the promotion-relegation playoffs.

Suwon Samsung then ended up in second place in the K League 2 last year to grab a ticket to the promotion-relegation playoffs against Jeju SK FC of the K League 1. A victory in the two-legged showdown would have catapulted Suwon Samsung back to the top league but they instead lost both matches by a combined score of 3-0.

In the aftermath, Suwon Samsung chose not to re-sign head coach Byun Sung-hwan and also did not tender a new contract to a dozen players.

Lee admitted he was too busy running Gwangju FC last year to pay much attention to what other clubs were doing, but watched Suwon Samsung's playoff losses closely in December.

"I think some Suwon Samsung players have different views on professionalism than I do, and I'd like to change that through training and communication," Lee said. "Those two matches also made me think long and hard about how Suwon Samsung players must approach their training and interact with their supporters."

Lee did not offer a specific objective for his first season — "I think every club, whether in the K League 1 or 2, has the same goal," he said — but instead emphasized the value of having a good process.

"There are still people who don't understand what it takes to accomplish a goal, such as winning a title," he said. "I think if players think only about results, they will be in danger of becoming complacent. I want to instill in them the value of the process and make them put the process over results."

Lee admitted it will take "quite some time" to realize his ultimate goal but he is willing to take one baby step at a time.

New Suwon Samsung Bluewings head coach Lee Jung-hyo speaks during a press conference in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Yonhap

"Honestly, I am not feeling any pressure. I don't have time for that because I've been busy thinking about how we can best please our supporters," the coach added. "The word 'pressure' doesn't exist in my head. I am ready to have fun in my pursuit of our objective."

Given his recent track record of success, Lee could have stayed in the K League 1 instead of taking over a second-division club. But Lee said it didn't matter to him that Suwon Samsung are a K League 2 team, because of the respect they showed him for the person and the coach that he is, "with absolutely zero prejudice."

Suwon Samsung have been criticized in recent years for not spending enough to chase high-end talent, but Lee said better performances on the field will naturally lead to more investment by the team.

"I don't usually ask for much when it comes to acquiring players," he added. "I think we already have plenty of talented young players here. And I believe it's important to develop them well with good training. To have quality training, we will need some experienced players around here, and I did ask the management for them. I think they will help our young guys grow."

While at Gwangju FC, Lee authored a feel-good and unlikely success story as a former fringe player who reached bigger heights as a coach. Lee said he wants to keep inspiring other aspiring K League head coaches.

"To this day, there are a lot of people who want me to fail. I hope they stay that way because they will keep me motivated," Lee said. "As I keep breaking barriers and keep pushing forward, I hope other coaches will start dreaming big dreams."