South Korea basketball leagues

Checked 2026-10-31FIBA code KOR

The KBL runs the men's top flight and the WKBL runs the women's top flight. The KBL bylaws set the season from October to April. No lower national tier or promotion and relegation rule was found on the sources opened.

National federation: Korea Basketball Association.

KBL

Men's tier 1. Status: Partly sourced.

Run by: Korean Basketball League (KBL) · Official site
Teams: Not yet verified
Season: Oct to Apr (preseason Oct, regular season Oct to Mar, playoffs to Apr) · Source
Foreign player rule: KBL rules (Oct 2023 edition) define a foreign player as a non-Korean registered under KBL rules, aged 18 or over with high school done. Asia quota players are a separate class. Club limits are set by the board. · Source
Promotion and relegation: Not yet verified

Clubs: Not yet verified.

WKBL

Women's tier 1. Status: Partly sourced.

Run by: Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) · Official site
Teams: 6 · Source
Season: Not yet verified
Foreign player rule: WKBL Asia quota notice for 2025-26: up to 2 Asia quota players per team, 12 in total, Japanese passport holders. 2026-27 rule not confirmed. · Source
Promotion and relegation: Not yet verified

Clubs: Not yet verified.

KBL club count for 2026-27 not confirmed: the Oct 2023 bylaws list ten clubs but the KBL site would not load. WKBL site lists six member clubs.

Rules change each season and clubs apply them differently. Confirm any figure with the league or federation before you rely on it. This is education, not legal or tax advice. See a figure that is out of date? Send a correction with the source link.

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