Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae voted top S. Korean footballer of 2023

Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae was named the top South Korean male football player for 2023 on Tuesday, earning his first annual honor and snapping a four-year winning streak by Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) announced Tuesday that Kim won the Male Player of the Year award after earning 137 points in a vote by football journalists and members of the KFA's technical development committee and national team committee.

Son, who has won a record seven Player of the Year awards, including four straight from 2019 to 2022, finished as the runner-up this time with 113 points. Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in ranked third at 84 points.

Kim, runner-up to Son in 2021 and 2022, signed for Bayern Munich in the summer after a wildly successful one-year stint with Napoli in Italy. In May, Kim helped Napoli win their first Serie A title in 33 years, and Kim was later named the best defender in the top Italian league.

With Kim manning the backline, Bayern are in second place in the Bundesliga this season with 38 points, four back of Bayer Leverkusen but with one match in hand at 15. Bayern have conceded the second-fewest goals in Germany with 15.

Kim, 27, is the first defender to be named the KFA's top male player since Kim Young-gwon in 2015.

"It's an honor to win such a huge award. I will continue to put in hard work," Kim Min-jae said at the awards ceremony held in Seoul. "I'd like to thank fans who've stayed up late at night to cheer me on."

In a media scrum after the ceremony, Kim said 2023 was "the most special year of my life."

"I wonder if I will receive a bigger honor than this in the rest of my career," Kim said. "I had a special season last year. I will try to replicate that performance in the new year. I've proven that defenders can win an award like this and I hope to see my fellow defenders play with more confidence going forward."

Also on Tuesday, the 21-year-old winger Chun Garam was voted the Female Player of the Year. In a vote by WK League head coaches, members of the women's national team coaching staff and female coaches registered with the KFA, Chun scored 20 points to edge out seven-time winner Ji So-yun by one point.

Chun made her senior international debut in November 2022 and collected 11 more caps in 2023. She netted four goals in those 11 matches, including a hat trick against Thailand in an Olympic qualification match in October.

In the WK League, Chun helped Hwacheon KSPO WFC to second place in the regular season, their best placement ever.

"I can't believe I've won this award so early in my career. This feels like a dream," Chun said after receiving her trophy at the ceremony. "I know I couldn't have won this by myself. I will always be grateful for all the support I've been getting."

The KFA also recognized top coaches in South Korean football. Kim Gi-dong, who led Pohang Steelers to the FA Cup title and a second-place finish in the top-flight K League 1, was named the Male Coach of the Year. Kim Eun-sook of Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels WFC won the Female Coach of the Year award, after leading her club to their 11th consecutive WK League championship.

Hwang Jae-won of Daegu FC and new women's national team star Casey Yujin Phair captured the Male and Female Young Player of the Year honors. (Yonhap)