Pop-up on official Busan I'cons website.

The Picture:

To the proud citizens of Busan that loved the Icons.
The the proud supporters (POP):

We honestly and deeply thank you for your unchanging concerns and constructive criticism.

We, the Busan I.cons, have been encouraged throughout these times with you. Through joy and sorrow, excitement and pain, we could not have been there without you. We will never forget the beautiful times we have shared with you.

The Busan Icons have bought out the bankrupt Busan Daewoo Royals in the year 2000 to boost the level of K-League interest, and for the success of the 2002 World Cup. We have also invested 60 million dollars over the past four years (even through Korea's financial crisis) for the club to regain its merits and stature as a traditional and powerful football club.

We have tried our best for the better of the league and the team. We attempted to eliminate one of South Korea's professional sports problems of the clubs' relying on its mother corporation for its success. So we have independently run the Icons since last march as a football club. He have also implemented a youth system and have tried to spread a soccer infrastructure around the city.

However, the lack of a soccer-specific stadium, and other horrible circumstances made us conclude and predict deficits in the future that could hurt not only the stadiums but the pure existence of the club itself.

Therefore, even despite the Busan citizen's passionate support and love, we, the Busan I.cons have chosen an unfortunate option of moving out of Busan for the future success and the survival of the club. We have decided that a move to Seoul will increase Korea's overall soccer infrastructure and the fact that it is a capital city with a population of 10 million gave us the aspirations of re-transforming ourselves as a pure citizen-owned soccer club. Although we are very unfortunate about our decisions of moving, we believe that you will understand and accept our difficult decision.

Finally, we express our grief to the citizens of Busan, that gave us unchanging belief and support. We will strive forward to become a better football club in the future so we can step closer to the soccer fans from this point on. Thank you.

 

Feel bad Busanites but reality hurts. Of course Busan had another option of moving back to Gudeok downtown but they chose a move to Seoul. Good riddance perhaps...might be better for them in Seoul than their pitiful Busan WC stadium that attracted about 1000-3000 ppl per game. Hey...i'm willing to welcome the Icons with open arms although there is no way that i will get rid of this everlasting bitterness.

 

well they averaged 2,700 people in a city of about 4 million.

Assuming they have the same kind of management and promotion team in Seoul with a population of 10 million they could probably almost expect average crowds of 8,000 people and debts of ?? million?

If Daejeon can average 20,000 in a city less than half the size with a team that finished mid table, and bearing in mind that Busan has historically attracted some of the biggest crowds in the league.....um do I really need to finish this post?

 

get over it..that's all i can say. nobody is gonna stop LG or Hyundai in Korea.

 

I think it has a lot to do with the death of Mong-hun Chung. I'cons' parent company is Hyundai Asia Industrial Development Co.(HAIDC), whose relationship with Hyundai Motors and KCC has been pretty rocky. As you know KCC and other Hyundais are fighting for the ownership of Hyundai Group. When Mong-hun Chung committed suicide after years and years of deficit trying to develop resorts and industrial infrastructures in N.Korea, pressures from public, media, on top of lack of leadership left HAIDC without any other choice but to drop Icons. Now, when Icons were cut off its ties with its parent company, it could've implemented correct marketing strategies and what not but you know, those dickheads in Icons must be all ex-HAIDC employees who don't know jack about football and most of all, don't have the hearts in football. They're completely short-sighted and should be condemned for not having the courage to revive on their own. Wish I could work there. But then again, their pay is way too low!

 

let's not forget, however, that Pusan Icons have WANTED to stay in Busan. It's just that the Busan CITY has not been cooperative AT ALL.

I've read articles about how hard Busan Icons have tried, but the Busan City treated them like rats. The Busan Icons' officials have numerously lamented as to how on earth the city can treat them like this.

The good news is, however, the Busan City seems like they've learnt a lesson and are now willing to negotiate by cutting down fees for using the Busan Asiad etc.

 

perfect article for your question although it's in Korean.

http://www.pusannews.co.kr/Desk/det...004-02-11 22:22:00&newspaper=sports&bbscode=6


I've realized that Busan's situation is a lot different from that of Anyang's. Busan Icons really was desperate with the city acting as if they were begging the team to get out.

Last March(2003), Busan Icons officially detached itself from the Hyundai family. Hyundai has become no more than just being the biggest sponsor. Since then, Busan has tried hard to get sponsors from various sources. Busan City was among them, and has been the least cooperative. (unlike Daejeon)

Unlike Daejeon, Inchon, and Daegu in which the local communities collaborated to form "the team of the community", Busan didn't give any backings. In fact, when Busan proposed to put the slogan "Dynamic Busan" in the shirts and get some support, the city refused right away.

512,000,000 won was paid by Busan Icons for the Busan Asiad fee. An additional 100,000,000 won was paid for the turf. Busan Icons have used the stadium for a total of 34 days.


Compare that with Inchon, in which the city allowed its club to used the stadium for all 25 games with only 5,200,000 won.

Despite the high cost, when Busan Icons was trying to use the home ground for just 90 minutes before leaving to Hong Kong and play Kuwait, the Busan City officials refused. The City officials refused Busan Icons "to protect the pitch."

But when the Korean Olympics Squad asked Busan City to use the Asiad for the coming practice(which will begin on Feb 16th) for three days, the City accepted without hesitation.

Although the city officials later on admitted that it wasn't "right" to do so, this obviously wasn't the first time Busan Icons felt like they were being treated like outsiders.

 

the good news is that after all this have been publicized, it seems like Busan City is willing to negotiate.

 

Thanks Korean Football. That's all very interesting.

It's almost like Busan City wanted the Icons to fall over completely so they could maybe build a citizen type team which have shown more potential than corporate owned and run sides.

But their behaviour and belated efforts when they realised that their one source of outside funding for the stadium was about to disappear shows otherwise.

The Icons may have called their bluff.

For the council they have to meet the operating and maintenance costs and those should be their only concerns at this point in time.

If the Icons then started to draw profit making crowds they could then look for more cash. But when you flog a dead horse too often even it gets up and sods off.

I know that in NZ we have about 15 significant stadiums. Nothing massive but all seating more than about 20,000. As far as I am aware only one of these makes a profit and in general they are more heavily patronised than Korean stadiums.

I think basically it will be shown that they were built long before their time and should have been 20% + smaller. I've been to several this year and they are showing signs of wear and tear and the gardens are getting over grown etc. Cobwebs over toilet doors, rust on hand rails, that kind of stuff.

 

As being half Japanese I know east asian way of thinking too well..... I'm so tired of things as football be ruined because of some politicians or powerfull corporate owners wants to show the pther and us normal people that they are more superior and others and they can just do criminal acts saying that they do it for us and when normal asians do a minor thing he and his family will be condemned the whole life. Kungfucianism is almost a fascistic philosophy.