Kim Tae-so's late goal earned the Korean FA Cup holders a narrow victory against a Jeonbuk side that finished the game with only nine players.

Chunnam, whose participation in the AFC Champions League came to an end in midweek, enjoyed the better of the first half but should have fallen behind early in the game as Lee Hyun-sung was sent clear on goal by striker Stevica Ristic but screwed his effort wide.

After that let-off, Kim Tae-su nearly gave the Dragons the lead after 35 minutes when Jeonbuk goalkeeper Kwou Sun-tae spilled a Leandro header but recovered sufficiently to save Kim's shot on the turn.

The game came to life in the second half as Jeonbuk were reduced to nine men. First to go was Kim Hyun-soo who received two yellow cards in the first five minutes after the restart.

He was soon followed by fellow defender Kim Young-son who was sent off after a foul on Kim Chi-woo.

Chunnam stepped up the pressure but the visitors held out until nine minutes from time when Kim Tae-so lashed home a shot from outside the area.

Despite the loss, Jeonbuk stayed fifth in the K-League, four points behind fourth-placed Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i while Chunnam move up to seventh.

Earlier in the day, an early strike from Fernando gave Daejeon Citizen their second win of the season, a 1-0 home victory against Jeju United.

Two other teams at the wrong end of the table, Daegu FC and Busan I'Park, played out a 1-1 draw.