Yoon Jong-hwan, new head coach for Incheon United / Yonhap

Yoon Jong-hwan, the reigning K League 1 Coach of the Year award winner, was named the new bench boss for the relegated club Incheon United on Sunday.

Yoon, 51, is fresh off leading Gangwon FC to their most successful season in the top-flight K League 1, as they finished in second place behind Ulsan HD FC with 64 points from 19 wins, seven draws and 12 losses. Yoon became just the fourth tactician to nab the Coach of the Year award in the K League 1 despite not capturing the league title.

On Dec. 6, however, Gangwon announced they were parting ways with Yoon, whose deal expired following the 2024 season, after the two sides couldn't narrow their differences for a new contract. Gangwon instead promoted their top assistant, Chung Kyung-ho, to be their new head coach.

Incheon then pounced on Yoon, who is now tasked with putting the club back in the top competition.

Incheon suffered direct relegation to the K League 2 this year after finishing dead last in the 12-club K League 1 with 39 points on nine wins, 12 draws and 17 losses. They will be playing in the second-tier league for the first time since the K League introduced the promotion-relegation system in 2013.

Yoon, a former national team midfielder, began his coaching career with Sagan Tosu in Japan in 2011. He later coached Ulsan before going back to Japan to take the reins at Cerezo Osaka. After a one-year stint with Muangthong United in Thailand in 2019, Yoon coached JEF United Chiba in Japan from 2020 to 2022.

Yoon then ran the show for Gangwon the past two years.

In a statement, Incheon United said Yoon is a "tactically flexible coach" who is adaptable to changing situations in modern football and also noted that his aggressive style of defending has won over fans.

Yoon vowed to send his new club back to the top league "for passionate fans in Incheon."

"This is a club with infinite potential," Yoon added. "I will motivate the team and implement a competitive game model."

Yoon will hold his first training session Thursday, and the team will travel to Thailand a week later to set up their overseas camp. (Yonhap)