Last season, Ulsan Hyundai claimed its first K League Championship since 2005, finally overhauling their great rivals to the west, Jeonbuk Motors. As we head down the final stretch, the Tigers are odds-on to go back-to-back so Munsu Stadium should feature on every ‘hopping wishlist. This is our short guide to their stadium.
Hong Myung-bo’s Ulsan Hyundai finally ended Jeonbuk Motors’ stranglehold on K League 1 last year and with his team clear at the summit in 2023, Ulsan should close out successive championships this autumn (Pohang disagrees). Following Covid-19 disputed seasons, the AFC Champions League is also back, offering football fans another opportunity to check out the club’s World Cup Stadium.
Opened in 2001, Munsu Football Stadium was built for the FIFA World Cup but earned global attention the previous summer when it hosted games at the Confederations Cup. Korea Republic and France both beat Mexico in Ulsan that summer before Australia defeated Brazil in the 3rd/4th play-off. In 2002, Ulsan staged two group stage games and the quarter-final clash between Germany and USA.
Munsu is a symmetrical double-tiered football-specific stadium with a capacity of 43,000. Like most of the World Cup stadiums, it has undergone some renovations, with tables and tents/camping zones added to improve the match-day experience. Munsu has one large screen hanging over the South Stand and a bizarre screen over the North Stand that looks like it shrunk in the washing.
Ulsan is a coastal city in South-East Korea, 60 kilometers north of Busan and 100 km east of Daegu. The city is famous for its port, one of the busiest and most important in Korea. Ulsan has a stop on the KTX line but the station is nowhere near the city centre. The Taewha River divides the city in two and is connected to Munsu by the smaller Moogeo Cheon.
Munsu Stadium is located far away from downtown Ulsan, between the Bus Terminal (9 km east) and the KTX Station (17 km west). Of the World Cup Stadiums in Korea, Munsu is probably the least convenient to access. It forms part of a sports complex and is next to a ballpark which Busan-based Lotte Giants use a few times every summer.
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