Bucheon: A football promotion playoff match was snowed out Thursday, with the contestants scheduled to be back on the field Friday. The first leg of the home-and-away K League promotion-relegation playoffs between the home side Bucheon FC 1995 and Suwon FC was scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bucheon Stadium in Bucheon, some 20 kilometers west of Seoul. Snow started falling about two hours prior to the start and quickly blanketed the pitch, causing a delay and ultimately the postponement.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the league office said the match will instead begin at 7 p.m. Friday in Bucheon. The second leg was initially scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, about 30 kilometers south of Seoul. However, the league said it will determine the schedule for the second match Friday, with a postponement to Monday a likely option to ensure the teams will have needed rest.

The winner of this series will compete in the top-flight K League 1 next year, and the loser will be in the K League 2. Bucheon FC have never been promoted to the K League 1 since they joined the second division in 2013. They have never even played in promotion-relegation playoffs. They finished a franchise-best third this year and then knocked off Seongnam FC in a K League 2 playoff match to reach this stage. Bucheon and Seongnam ended in a goalless draw, but Bucheon, as the higher seed at No. 3, were declared the winner.

Suwon FC fell to the playoffs by finishing in 11th place in the K League 1 this year. They have not been in the second division since 2020. They previously won the promotion-relegation playoffs in 2015 and 2023.