K League 2 will take an early summer break following Round 15 in early June. There is so much to play for between now and then, especially in the championship race.

Football fans in Korea will have to do without a solid month of action because of the World Cup taking place in North America this summer. K League 1 will go on shutdown for seven weeks, meaning only three rounds remain.

Thankfully, K League 2 trundles on until the weekend of June 6–7. The championship race is, arguably, closer than anyone predicted, meaning there are several huge matches between now and the break.

Suwon Samsung vs. Daegu FC – May 9

When the fixture list dropped, this game jumped off the page. An early championship six-pointer at Big Bird? It just hasn’t worked out that way. Suwon are second and were badly exposed in the derby last Sunday. They had been relying on narrow wins against substandard opposition to keep up with Busan IPark at the summit.

That form has since deserted them. Goals remain hard to come by, and the previously airtight defense has been punctured. Daegu, for their part, have already made a managerial change. They are sixth, level on points with Cheonan City, and a full 11 adrift of Busan. Both teams need three points—badly.

Hwaseong FC vs. Suwon FC – May 9

On the same day, Suwon FC make the short journey south to meet Cha Du-ri’s in-form Hwaseong FC. The Orange-men are fifth—an extraordinary position to be in. They have won three from four and know that a win will take them above Suwon FC.

However, Suwon will be bouncing following their demolition of Suwon Samsung last weekend. Trailing at the break, Suwon tore their supposedly superior visitors to shreds after the restart, winning 3–1. It was timely, too, after picking up just two points from a possible 12 leading into it.

Seoul E-Land vs. Seongnam – May 24

Judging by squad strength, pre-season predictions, and league positions, this should be a three-point win for Seoul E-Land. Sitting third and in great form (12 points from 15), Seoul were tipped by many observers to claim one of the two automatic promotion spots before the season began.

Seongnam, on the other hand, were decimated by winter departures, essentially ripping away any momentum they built from a late-season play-off push. That run included a surprising late win in Mokdong at Seoul’s expense. Seongnam are still in the play-off picture, despite being down in 10th. This is Seoul’s chance for revenge.

Paju Frontier vs. Gimpo FC – May 25

At the time of writing, Paju and Gimpo are eighth and ninth, level on points. Paju sit out the upcoming weekend, allowing Gimpo the opportunity to overtake them. Why include this match? Despite being mid-table, they are just one point off a play-off spot. K League 2 is tense.

But there’s another reason. Since joining K League 2, Gimpo have lived without a derby. The club is so far from everyone else that developing a rivalry is difficult. Then Paju joined the second tier. Finally, these clubs have an away fixture that won’t take hours to get to.

Which matches are you looking forward to?