| Season | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Dates | Regular season: 11 May – 2 November 1996 Championship: 9–16 November 1996 |
| Champions | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (1st title) |
| Asian Club Championship | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i Pohang Atoms |
| Cup Winners' Cup | Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Matches played | 144 |
| Goals scored | 448 (3.11 per match) |
| Best Player | Kim Hyun-seok |
| Top goalscorer | Shin Tae-yong (18 goals) |
← 1995 1997 → | |
The 1996 Korean Professional Football League was the 14th season of K League since its establishment in 1983. South Korean government and the Korean Professional Football Federation introduced a decentralization policy to proliferate the popularity of football nationally in preparation for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which they wanted to host, so some clubs located in the capital Seoul (LG Cheetahs, Ilhwa Chunma) moved to other cities according to the new policy in this season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 32 | 17 | +15 | 36 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 2 | Pohang Atoms | 16 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 24 | 12 | +12 | 35 | Qualification for the Asian Club Championship[a] |
| 3 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 16 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 28 | 18 | +10 | 30 | |
| 4 | Bucheon Yukong | 16 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 28 | 29 | −1 | 20 | |
| 5 | Jeonbuk Dinos | 16 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 21 | 25 | −4 | 19 | |
| 6 | Jeonnam Dragons | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 29 | −11 | 18 | |
| 7 | Busan Daewoo Royals | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 23 | 28 | −5 | 15 | |
| 8 | Anyang LG Cheetahs | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 21 | 28 | −7 | 15 | |
| 9 | Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma | 16 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 26 | −9 | 11 |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 29 | 15 | +14 | 33 | Qualification for the playoffs |
| 2 | Bucheon Yukong | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 28 | |
| 3 | Pohang Atoms | 16 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 26 | |
| 4 | Busan Daewoo Royals | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 22 | 23 | −1 | 21 | |
| 5 | Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 35 | 37 | −2 | 21 | |
| 6 | Jeonnam Dragons | 16 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 22 | 24 | −2 | 18 | |
| 7 | Jeonbuk Dinos | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 20 | 24 | −4 | 18 | |
| 8 | Anyang LG Cheetahs | 16 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 23 | 28 | −5 | 17 | |
| 9 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 28 | 37 | −9 | 15 |
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | 3–2 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | 0–1 | 3–1 |
| Pos | Team | 0 | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i (C) | Qualification for the Asian Club Championship | |
| 2 | Suwon Samsung Bluewings | Qualification for the Cup Winners' Cup[a] |
| Position | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper |  Kim Byung-ji
|
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i |
| Defenders | Yoon Sung-hyo
|
Suwon Samsung Bluewings |
| Kim Joo-sung
|
Busan Daewoo Royals | |
| Huh Ki-tae
|
Bucheon SK | |
| Midfielders | Shin Tae-yong
|
Cheonan Ilhwa Chunma |
 Pavel Badea
|
Suwon Samsung Bluewings | |
| Hong Myung-bo
|
Pohang Atoms | |
| Ha Seok-ju
|
Busan Daewoo Royals | |
| Kim Hyun-seok
|
Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i | |
| Forwards |  Rade Bogdanović
|
Pohang Atoms |
 Sergey Burdin
|
Bucheon SK |
Source:[2]
|
K League seasons
| |
|---|---|
| K League 1 |
|
| K League 2 |
|
| Championship |
|
