Once again, it was coach Kim Gi-dong. Kim Gi-dong, who is leading FC Seoul's solo charge in first place, became the winner of the 'flex manager of the month' for April, following February–March.
Kim Gi-dong's Seoul recorded 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in six matches held in April, firmly holding the K League 1 lead. Seoul drew 1-1 in the 6th-round match against Anyang, the first match in April, but moved up in the title race by beating Jeonbuk 1-0 in the 7th round and Ulsan 4-1 in the rescheduled 2nd round.
After that, Seoul suffered its first loss of the season in the 8th round, losing 0-1 to Daejeon, but did not wobble any further. Rather, they rode the momentum with a 3-0 win over Bucheon in the 9th round and a 2-1 win over Gangwon in the 10th round. During this period, Seoul showed stability on both offense and defense with 11 goals scored and 4 conceded.
With this, Kim Gi-dong has won the manager of the month award for the sixth time in his career. This ties him for third-most all-time (with Hwang Sun-hong) behind Nam Ki-il (8) and Choi Kang-hee (7).
In addition, Kim Gi-dong became the fourth in history to win the manager of the month award in two consecutive months, following Choi Kang-hee (Jeonbuk) in 2014, Ko Jong-su (Daejeon) in 2018 and Gus Poyet (Jeonbuk) in 2025. Kim Gi-dong will receive a commemorative trophy and prize money produced by the Korea Professional Football League (KPFL).
The selection method for manager of the month changed starting this year. Previously, winners were decided by 100% voting of the K League technical study group (TSG) commissioners among all K League 1 and 2 managers, but starting this year the top five managers based on performance are shortlisted as candidates.
This time, the candidates were Kim Gi-dong (Seoul), Sergiu Costa (Jeju), Kim Do-gyun (Seoul E), and Cho Seong-hwan (Busan), who achieved the best results in April.
The final winner is then determined by combining performance-based quantitative evaluation (70%) and field-based qualitative evaluation (30%). The quantitative evaluation accounted for points per game and total points to consider fairness for differences in the number of matches, reflected match difficulty through the difference between expected points and actual points, and calculated results by comprehensively considering match conditions such as home and away. The qualitative evaluation was judged comprehensively by K League TSG technical commissioners based on organization, tactical completeness and ability to respond to match situations.
Meanwhile, flex is an HR-based AI platform company that signed an official HR partnership with the league and the K League in 2023. flex carries out various joint projects such as integrated advertising within K League stadiums, the "flex manager of the month," and the "K League academy HR training program." flex sponsors the manager of the month each month by selecting K League masters who set an example for all organization leaders and create a single team focused on goals through excellent leadership.
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