Suwon: Jeju SK FC took a big step toward avoiding relegation to the second division in South Korean football Wednesday, as they won the first leg of their key playoff series on the road. Yuri Jonathan's 67th-minute penalty stood as the winner as Jeju SK defeated Suwon Samsung Bluewings 1-0 to open their K League promotion-relegation playoffs at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the return leg of this home-and-away series will be 2 p.m. Sunday at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo on the southern island of Jeju. Jeju SK ended up in these playoffs after finishing in 11th place in the top-flight K League 1. They must win this series to stay in the top division and avoid falling into the K League 2 for the first time since 2020.

Suwon Samsung, four-time K League 1 champions with several other major trophies, were relegated to the K League 2 after the 2023 season. This year, they qualified for the promotion-relegation playoffs by finishing in second place in the K League 2 but now find themselves in a 1-0 hole heading into the away leg Sunday.

There will be no away goals rule in effect. If the aggregate scores are tied after two matches, then the teams will play a 30-minute extra period. If that doesn't solve the deadlock, there will be a penalty shootout.

Suwon Samsung, who led the K League 2 with 76 goals in 39 matches this season, outshot Jeju SK 10-2 on Wednesday but couldn't solve goalkeeper Kim Dong-jun. Stanislav Iljutcenko tested Kim with a header in the 16th minute, after setting up Kim Ji-hyun for a right-footed shot that went wide right of the target.

In the 41st minute, Iljutcenko sent Bruno Silva off on a counterbreak, but his left-footed shot just missed the net to the right. Jeju SK did not have a shot on target in the first half, but Yuri Jonathan converted the penalty after Suwon Samsung goalkeeper Kim Min-jun was called for a foul on Yu In-soo after their collision in the box.

Kim Dong-jun stood tall in Jeju's net down the stretch, turning aside Kim Hyun's shot during stoppage time to seal the narrow win. The other promotion-relegation playoff series is between Suwon FC, who finished 10th in the K League 1, and Bucheon FC 1995, who were third in the K League 2 and won a playoff match to get to this point. Their opening leg is 7 p.m. Thursday in Bucheon, just west of Seoul, followed by the second leg at 4:30 p.m. Sunday in Suwon.