Lee Jung-hyo, widely regarded as one of the most intriguing figures in Korean sports, added a new chapter to his unlikely ascent this week when he was named Coach of the Year at the 2025 Korea Football Association Awards — the top honor bestowed on a head coach in the K League, the country’s professional soccer system. The 51-year-old arrived at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, in his trademark black leather jacket, thanked Gwangju FC for the opportunity that set his career in motion and pledged to push Korean football in a new direction. The coaching world in Korea has long been shaped by elite university networks and establishment connections — a culture where who you know often matters more than what you know. Lee has none of those conventional credentials. As a player, he spent a decade at Busan IPark without ever earning a call-up to the national team. When he was appointed head coach of Gwangju FC in 2022 — a chronically underfunded, community-owned club then in the second division — he was largely unknown beyond a small circle in Korean footba