The Highest Class Football League champions was Kigwanch'a, with April 25 and Amrokkang finishing second and third respectively.[1]
Unusually, the competition was played with a play-off format to decide the championship. Ryŏmyŏng made their Highest Class League debut. Eight teams advanced to the quarter-finals; the only results known are that on 25 October Kigwancha beat Hwaebul 2–1, and Amrokkang defeated Sobaeksu 3–1; both these matches were played at Sŏsan Stadium in P'yŏngyang.[2] It is known that April 25 won their quarter-final match, but their opponent is unknown, as is the match-up of the fourth quarter-final match; the semi-final matches are likewise unknown. Kigwancha went on to defeat April 25 in the final.
Sobaeksu player Kim Su-hyŏng was listed third on North Korea's list of top ten athletes of 2016, and Ryŏmyŏng manager Sin Jŏng-bŏk was listed fourth on the list of top ten managers (across all sports) in the same year.[3]
The second competition for the Osandŏk Prize was held in December, with fourteen teams playing a group round-robin, followed by a knockout competition which was won by Hwaebul.[7]
