Ulsan Citizen

Ulsan lost its old semi-professional side in 2016, when Ulsan Hyundai Mipo Dolphin disbanded, and the city refused to let the gap stand. On 22 December 2018 the Ulsan Metropolitan City government and the Ulsan Football Association set up a replacement built on a different model: a citizen club, owned by the city and the association rather than a corporate sponsor, with ties to schools such as Hakseong High School running through it.

The new side moved fast. In its first competitive season, 2019, Ulsan Citizen went through the K3 League Basic campaign unbeaten and took the title with 50 points from 15 wins, five draws and a single loss, earning promotion. A year later it finished runner-up in the inaugural K4 League, behind Paju Citizen FC, and went straight back up to the K3 League for 2021. In 2022 the club added a gold medal in the men's senior division at the National Sports Festival.

The result the club is best known for came against bigger opposition. In the 2020 FA Cup it beat Bucheon FC 1995, a K League 2 side, 2-0. That habit of punching above its tier resurfaced on 29 July 2026, when Ulsan Citizen met Ulsan HD FC in the Korea Cup — the first Ulsan derby since the city's previous semi-pro team faced Ulsan Hyundai Horangi back in 2002 — and won 1-0 at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium.

Players have used the club as a step up rather than a destination. Koo Jong-wook spent six years in midfield, made the K3 Best XI in both 2023 and 2024, and left for Cheonan City FC in January 2025. Hong Jae-seok went further: he became the first Ulsan Citizen player to reach K League 1, signing for Ulsan HD FC in 2024 before loan spells at Jeju United and Busan I'Park and a move to FC Anyang in 2026.

Ulsan Citizen plays in front of a ground built for 19,431.