Park Ji-sung (Korean:박지성;pronounced[pak̚.t͈ɕi.sʌŋ]; born 30 March 1981)[note 1] is a South Korean former professionalfootballer who played as amidfielder. Born in the South Korean capital ofSeoul,[10] Park is regarded as one of the greatest and most successfulAsian players in football history, having won 19 trophies in his career.[11] He is the first Asian footballer to win theUEFA Champions League, play in aUEFA Champions League final, and win theFIFA Club World Cup.[12] Park was able to play anywhere across the midfield and was noted for his exceptional fitness level, discipline, work ethic and off-the-ball movement.[13] His remarkable endurance levels earned him the nickname "Three-Lung" Park.[14]
Park began his football career in his native South Korea and played for theMyongji University team before moving to Japan to play forKyoto Purple Sanga. After Park's national team managerGuus Hiddink moved back to the Netherlands to managePSV Eindhoven, Park followed him to the Dutch side a year later. He won twoEredivisie titles, aKNVB Cup and aJohan Cruyff Shield in Eindhoven before his talents were recognised by Manchester United managerSir Alex Ferguson as PSV reached the semi-finals of the2004–05 UEFA Champions League. Park signed for Manchester United for a fee of around £4 million in July 2005, and in his time at United won 11 trophies, including fourPremier League titles, theUEFA Champions League and theFIFA Club World Cup. He moved toQueens Park Rangers in 2012 after seven years with Manchester United. However, an injury-interrupted season with QPR, combined with the club's relegation, led to Park rejoining PSV on loan for the2013–14 season, following which he retired due to a knee injury.
Park was born inSeoul,[20][21] but his family registered his birth inGoheung,Jeonnam, which is his father's hometown.[22] He then left forSuwon,[23] asatellite city of Seoul, and spent his adolescence there. He began playing football during his fourth year of elementary school. He attended Anyong Middle School and Suwon Technical High School.[24] While at school, Park attracted attention as one of the most promising young talents in South Korea and was scouted by a number of clubs. He was well known for his excellentwork rate, mesmerising dribbling and accurate passes. However, his small physique became a weak point after he entered middle school. His father, Park Sung-jong, quit his job and started a butcher shop for his son's dream. Sung-jong not only fed Park different meats but also frogs, antlers and deer blood, in the belief that it would increase his physical abilities.[14][25] While in high school, Park helped his high school team's win at high school competition of theKorean National Sports Festival in 1998,[26] though he was at that point rejected by a number of professional clubs and universities due to his small stature. He ended up playing forMyongji University after Lee Hak-jong, his high school coach, strongly recommended him toKim Hee-tae, the university coach. Park was attached to the university's tennis club at that time, because the football club was full, so Kim asked the tennis coach for help.[25]
From the winter holiday of his secondary school year, Park began to train with his university team as a prospective member. A few weeks later, in January 1999, his university team was given the chance to train with theSouth Korea Olympic team. After a splendid performance, he attracted the attention ofHuh Jung-moo, the coach of theSouth Korea national team and Olympic team. Thereafter he became a preliminary member of the Olympic team, and finally a formal member ofits squad. At 18 years old, it was believed that if Park had not been selected for the Olympic team, he would have been selected for theunder-20 team instead. This selection was so unexpected for Park and others that it was rumoured that Huh selected Park to fulfil a bet after losing to Kim Hee-tae in a game ofGo.[25]
On 5 April 2000, in a2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification match againstLaos, Park madehis debut as a member of the national team, along withLee Chun-soo. In June 2000, while he was a national team member and a second year student at Myongji University,Kyoto Purple Sanga ofJapan offered Park a contract and he took the offer though he was still a relative unknown. Park was the first instance of a relatively unknown Korean player being offered a contract by a Japanese club.[27]
In September 2000, at the2000 Summer Olympics, his Olympic team failed to advance to the knockout stage, and the South Korea national football team replaced head coachHuh Jung-moo withGuus Hiddink.
In June 2000, Park signed with the Kyoto-based thenJ1 League sideKyoto Purple Sanga. In the spring of 2000, hearing that there was a rising star in Korea,Bunji Kimura, Sanga's coach at the time, visited Korea along with other scouts. In a practice game, the rising star did not attract their attention, whereas Park did. In an interview, Kimura said:
In a practice match, a player arrested our eyes. Despite his injuries, Park's performance was outstanding. Park played only about 20 minutes, however we could see his sense, physical strength, and his potential, so we accepted Park instead of the player we thought. This scout aroused a lot of criticism in Sanga because Park was unknown, to the point that I should resign.[28]
In 2001, the club won theJ2 League title and were promoted to theJ1 League. In 2002, Park led the team to the final of theEmperor's Cup, and in thefinal on 1 January 2003, he scored the equaliser with a header. Sanga went on to win the match 2–1 to become Emperor's Cup champions for the first time in their history. This was Park's last game for Sanga.[29][unreliable source?] In January 2003, he left Sanga asGuus Hiddink invited him to play forPSV Eindhoven.
After the World Cup, Hiddink was appointed as manager of Dutch club PSV Eindhoven. In 2003, Park and South Korean teammateLee Young-pyo moved to PSV in order to play under their mentor and former national team coach. While Lee quickly became a fixture in PSV's starting line-up, Park struggled due to injuries. He had an operation to remove hismeniscus after the injury and this affected his ability.[30] He felt fear when the ball came to him because he was jeered at by PSV fans disappointed at his performance.[31]
By the end of 2003–04 season, however, Park had begun to adapt to the Netherlands, both on and off the field. In the 2004–05 season, the departure ofArjen Robben toChelsea afforded Park more starting opportunities and he quickly proved his worth to the team. Along withJohann Vogel,DaMarcus Beasley and DutchmenMark van Bommel andPhilip Cocu, Park formed the backbone of PSV's midfield play with his pace and passing.[32] Having been a top contributor of goals and assists that season, the highlight of Park's PSV career came when he scored the first goal against Italian teamMilan in theUEFA Champions League semi-finals. PSV went on to win the homeleg 3–1, but their 2–0 loss during the away leg meant Milan advanced to thefinal.[33]
Nevertheless, thanks to these strong performances, Park was chosen, along withAndriy Shevchenko,Adriano,Samuel Eto'o andRonaldinho, as one of the nominees for the 2005UEFA Best Forward award.[34][35] PSV fans were so enamoured with Park that they wrote a song about him entitled "Song for Park", which was included on the official PSV albumPSV Kampioen.[36]
On 1 October 2005, Park largely contributed to a 3–2 victory againstFulham by assisting two goals and winning a penalty kick.[40] On 18 October 2005, Park became the first Asian to evercaptain Manchester United when he took the armband fromRyan Giggs as he replaced him during a Champions League home group match againstLille.[41][42] Park's first goal for Manchester United came on 20 December 2005, during a 3–1 win overBirmingham City in theLeague Cup fifth round.[43] On 5 February 2006, Park appeared to have scored his first Premier League goal, against Fulham in United's 4–2 victory atOld Trafford.[44] The Premier League'sDubious Goals Panel, however, later ruled that this was an own goal due to a deflection off the Fulham defenderCarlos Bocanegra. On 9 April 2006, Park scored his first official league goal, netting the second of a 2–0 home win overArsenal.[45]
Park injured his ankle during the match againstTottenham Hotspur on 9 September 2006 and returned to the field after three months.[46] On 17 March 2007, he scored two goals againstBolton Wanderers, the first time he had scored more than once in a Premier League match.[47] In April 2007, Park was sent to America for surgery on a recurring knee injury, putting an end to his season.[48] Although sidelined by injury for most of the season, he recorded five goals and two assists in 14 appearances, and satisfied enough matches for a Premier League medal.[49] However, Park started suffering chronic knee problems that eventually accelerated his retirement.[50]
On 1 March 2008, Park scored his first league goal of the2007–08 season after returning from his long-term injury against Fulham. His lack of appearances had caused much controversy in South Korea,[51] but he proved his worth when he delivered an assist toWayne Rooney in the Champions League quarter-final match againstRoma. On 29 April 2008, Manchester United advanced to theChampions League Final after beatingBarcelona. Park, however, was excluded from the squad to face Chelsea in the final despite starting both legs of the semi-final; manager Sir Alex Ferguson later stated that leaving him out was one of the hardest decisions he had had to make throughout his managerial career.[52]
Early in the2008–09 Premier League season, in an away match versus Chelsea, Park scored the only goal for United in a 1–1 draw on 21 September 2008, in a game which he also won theman of the match award.[53] On 13 December 2008, he made his 100th appearance for Manchester United, starting in the match againstTottenham Hotspur atWhite Hart Lane, the game ended 0–0.[54] Park was included in the 23-man squad for theFIFA Club World Cup held at the end of 2008. He missed the semi-final but played the full 90 minutes in the final which they won 1–0 becoming the first English side to win the competition. On 7 March 2009, Park scored his first FA Cup goal in the 4–0 quarter-final win over Fulham atCraven Cottage, he latched onto a misplaced pass byZoltán Gera eventually slotting it into the far corner for the fourth and final goal.[55] On 15 April 2009, Manchester United advanced to semi-finals of the Champions League by defeatingPorto 3–2 on aggregate. This made Park the only Asian player to be part of Champions League semi-finals on four occasions.
On 2 May 2009, Park verbally agreed to a new four-year £50,000-a-week deal at Manchester United, stating, "I have no reason to move. I play at the best club in the world."[56] Following this announcement, Park scored his second league goal of the season – and third overall – in a 2–0 away win againstMiddlesbrough.[57] On 5 May 2009, Park scored his first Champions League goal for Manchester United in the second leg of the semi-final against Arsenal at theEmirates. He pounced on a slip byKieran Gibbs and placed the ball overManuel Almunia in the eighth minute, with the game ending 3–1 (4–1 on aggregate), advancing United to theChampions League final for the second year running.[58] Park became the first Asian player in history to play in a Champions League final, although his team lost 0–2 to Barcelona.[59]
On 14 September 2009, Park signed a three-year contract extension with United, keeping him at the club until 2012. Ferguson said during the summer that he was always confident a deal would be done with Park, whose wages were estimated to be about £75,000 a week.[60] Park started the2009–10 season poorly. He had to be absent again for a long period after the international match againstSenegal, because a long flight filled his knee with water in October 2009.[61]
On 31 January 2010, Park scored his first goal of the 2009–10 season, hitting United's third in a 3–1 win against Arsenal. His last goal also came against Arsenal at the Emirates in the same scoreline, coming in the2008–09 Champions League, this was also the first time United had beaten Arsenal at the Emirates in the Premier League.[62] On 10 March 2010, Park scored his first European goal of the season which was also his first for United in Europe at Old Trafford, hitting the third in a 4–0 win over Milan.[63] This was also his second goal against Milan in the Champions League.[64] On 21 March 2010, Park scored a crucial winner in thederby againstLiverpool, turning inDarren Fletcher's right-wing cross with a diving header.[65] On 4 May 2010, Park committed himself to United by openly claiming he would like to spend the rest of career with them, saying, "There is no reason to move to any other team."[66] On 9 May 2010, Park netted on the final day of the season, scoring a close-range diving header againstStoke City to wrap up a 4–0 win.
Park returned to the United team for the first time following theWorld Cup as he started against aLeague of Ireland XI in their final pre-season game on 4 August 2010. He marked this game with the first ever goal scored at the newly builtAviva Stadium, he then scored a second later on as United ended the game 7–1 winners.[67]
On 22 September 2010, Park netted his first goal of the 2010–11 season as he scored United's fourth of a 5–2 away win againstScunthorpe United in the third round of the League Cup.[68] He then netted in the next round of the League Cup, scoring United's second goal in a 3–2 home win overWolverhampton Wanderers on 26 October 2010.[69] Park scored his first two league goals of the season in a 2–1 home win over Wolves on 6 November, the second a late winner in the 93rd minute.[70] On 27 November, Park scored United's second goal in a 7–1 home victory overBlackburn Rovers.[71] Park's performance's during November 2010 helped him gain the Player of the Month award from the club's website.[72] Park was then voted as United Player of the Month for December 2010, grabbing the award for the second month in a row.[73] On 13 December, Park netted the only goal of the match against Arsenal,[74] a looping header, his fourth goal in seven starts against them.[75]
Park jetted off to captain South Korea in the2011 AFC Asian Cup and missed seven games for United after the turn of the year.[76] Upon his return from the subsequent tournament, he was ruled out for one month due to an hamstring injury which occurred during training. He returned to action for the first time since Boxing Day on 2 April, playing 64 minutes of a 4–2 away win overWest Ham United.[77] On 12 April 2011, Park scored his first goal since the turn of the year when he scored the winning goal in the Champions League quarter-final second leg tie against Chelsea, ending in a 2–1 win.[78] On 8 May, Park assistedJavier Hernández's opening goal with an accurate through-ball just 36 seconds after the start of the crucial match, which virtually decided United's league title with a 2–1 victory over rivals Chelsea.[79] On 22 May, he scored a goal and set up the second goal for Anderson in the last match of the season againstBlackpool. Park played in another Champions League final, against Barcelona in2011, which United lost 3–1.
During the United States tour, Park scored in a 4–1 win against theNew England Revolution and in a 7–0 win againstSeattle Sounders FC. In theMLS All-Star Game, which Manchester United won 4–0, Park was named the man of the match after scoring a goal on the stroke of half-time.
On 28 August 2011, Park scored the sixth goal in an 8–2 home win against Arsenal, shortly after coming on as a second-half substitute. Park made his first start of the season in the Premier League in a 2–0 home win againstNorwich City. Late on in the game he was involved in a neat one-two withDanny Welbeck in the creation of United's second goal of the day, which Welbeck finished. On 26 December 2011, Park scored an early goal in United's 5–0 home win againstWigan Athletic with a neat, side-foot finish fromPatrice Evra's cutback. He also won the penalty that wrapped up the win whichDimitar Berbatov scored to complete his hat-trick. In anFA Cup fourth round clash against Liverpool, Park scored an equalising goal with a low finish from aRafael cross to make it 1–1; however, United went on to lose the tie.
On 5 February 2012, Park made his 200th appearance for Manchester United by coming on as a substitute in the 86th minute against Chelsea. He became the 92nd player in the history of the club to reach the milestone. On 23 February 2012, Park captained Manchester United for the first time from the beginning of a match in a 2–1 home defeat toAjax in theUEFA Europa League. Although the match ended in a defeat, United still advanced to the round of 16 with a 3–2 aggregate score. On 30 April 2012, Park played in theManchester derby, in a game that was widely perceived as crucial to Manchester United's title defence. Park absented seven consecutive games by lagging behind in his positional competition at that time, but Ferguson trusted Park's big game ability. However, Park's performance was lethargic and he was criticized by the press.[80] Manchester United lost the game 1–0 andManchester City went on to win the Premier League title.
Having received less first-team football in his last season at Manchester United, Park moved toQueens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee on 9 July 2012, signing a two-year contract withthe Hoops.[81] He made his debut in a 5–0 defeat at home toSwansea City on the opening day ofthe season on 18 August 2012.[82]
Park's first season with QPR was largely unsuccessful. Despite initially being made club captain, a combination of injuries and lack of form meant that Park was unable to have the kind of impact that was expected after his signing from Manchester United. Park finished the season with only 20 Premier League appearances and no goals, as QPR were relegated from the top flight of English football.
With QPR no longer in the top flight, Park rejoined PSV on loan for the2013–14 season. The deal was completed on 8 August 2013, but Park's work permit application delayed his first game back for the club.[83] He scored his first goal againstHeracles Almelo at 86 minutes to tie the game on 24 August, his second match with PSV after his return.[84] On 22 September 2013, Park led a 4–0 victory of team againstAjax with one goal and two assists.[85]
On 14 May 2014, shortly after the conclusion of the season, Park announced his retirement, citing issues with his knee. Reflecting on his career, he said, "I'm leaving with no regrets, I enjoyed playing football. I have achieved more than I thought I would. I'm truly grateful for all the support I have received and I will live the rest of my life thinking how I can pay it back."[86][87]
WhenGuus Hiddink became the head coach of South Korea, Park's position was shifted to that of awinger; since then, he has become a versatile player able to play in a variety of positions: central, right and left midfield, as well as wing-forward. Park showed his good condition by scoring againstEngland andFrance in thefriendly matches prior to the2002 FIFA World Cup.[88][89] Park scored a memorable goal during the 2002 FIFA World Cup. During the group stages South Korea had won their first game againstPoland and drew against theUnited States. In order to advance, they had to manage a draw at the least against favouredPortugal side, which includedLuís Figo andRui Costa. The game was 0–0 until the 70th minute following two red cards against Portugal, when Park scored the match winner, controlling the ball with his chest and beatingSérgio Conceição before volleying it through the legs of Portugal goalkeeperVítor Baía and into the net with his left foot.[16] His goal eliminated Portugal and advanced South Korea into the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time. South Korea eventually made it to the semi-finals with victories overItaly andSpain, becoming the first Asian team to do so in the history of theFIFA World Cup. Park scored the second penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out against Spain, which South Korea won 5–3.[90]
Park was selected for the South Korea under-23 squad for the2002 Asian Games and won a bronze medal.[91] Park also played for South Korea in the2004 AFC Asian Cup during July. In the quarter-final, Park assisted theSeol Ki-hyeon's goal, but South Korea lost 4–3 againstIran.[92]
Park participated in the2006 FIFA World Cup. Park drew a crucial free kick that led to a red card forJean-Paul Abalo, andLee Chun-soo finished the chance with the equalising goal in the firstGroup G match, a 2–1 win overTogo.[93] Park scored the equalising goal in the second Group G match against eventualfinalists France and was votedman of the match.[17] However, South Korea lost 2–0 againstSwitzerland in the last group match and failed to advance into the knockout stage.
On 11 October 2008, Park captained South Korea for the first time in a friendly, which Korea won 3–0 againstUzbekistan.[94] He was the skipper for the remainder of thequalification campaign for the2010 FIFA World Cup and was South Korea's top scorer with five goals. One of his goals was against Iran in Seoul, beating two defenders then scored with his left foot.[95] South Korea advanced to the finals without a single defeat. On 24 May 2010, Park scored the winning goal with a solo effort in therivalry held in Japan just before the World Cup.[96]
On 12 June 2010, Park netted in his third consecutive World Cup, scoring the second goal in South Korea's 2–0 win overGreece in their firstgroup match, andcelebrated the goal with a double windmill (swinging both arms round and round).[97][98] He became the first Asian to score in three consecutive World Cup finals and became Asia's joint all-time leading scorer in the World Cup with three goals, alongside compatriotsAhn Jung-hwan andSon Heung-min, as well asSami Al-Jaber ofSaudi Arabia.[99] On 22 June 2010, South Korea drew 2–2 withNigeria and Park won theman of the match award which is his fourth in the World Cup.[19] South Korea successfully advanced to the knockout stage in the World Cup held in a foreign country for the first time, but lost 2–1 againstUruguay in theround of 16.
Park's father, Park Sung-jong, said his son has planned to end his national team career after the2011 AFC Asian Cup tournament in Qatar.[100] Park travelled to the tournament on 26 December 2010 assquad captain.[76] Park made his 100th international appearance in the semi-final match againstJapan on 25 January 2011.[101] Park induced a penalty kick which was finished as the opening goal but the match would not end in victory as they lost 3–0 during thepenalty shoot-out following 2–2 afterextra time.[102] South Korea coachCho Kwang-rae confirmed on 28 January that Park had retired from international duty as he was left out of their 3–2 third place play-off victory overUzbekistan.[103] Park was nominated as the tournament's Most Valuable Player alongsideMark Schwarzer,Keisuke Honda andServer Djeparov.[104] The award was eventually won by Japan midfielder Honda.[105] On 31 January, Park confirmed his retirement from international football to make way for younger players with potential.[106]
In January 2014, the national team managerHong Myung-bo wanted Park's return to the team for the2014 FIFA World Cup, but Park rejected Hong's suggestion because his knee was suffering to such an extent that he had to retire. Hong went to the Netherlands to persuade Park, but accepted Park's refusal after checking the condition of Park's knee.[107]
Park received much acclaim at Manchester United for his speed, off-the-ball movement, work rate and energy, which saw him deployed all over the midfield, including in themiddle of the pitch, in aholding role, in abox-to-box role or on eitherwing, where he operated as a defensive winger, incessantly pressing the opponent players.[13][14][108][109][110] He was also capable of playing as anattacking midfielder, or even in a more advanced role as asecond striker on occasion.[111][112] Moreover, Park was known as a big game player, as he was often used by Sir Alex Ferguson in big league games or European games where there was an extra emphasis on defensive work. Ferguson once claimed that Park was one of the few players in the world capable of markingLionel Messi.[113]
In his 2013 autobiography,I Think, Therefore I Play, Italian midfielderAndrea Pirlo wrote that Park, who was deployed to man-mark him in matches for both PSV and Manchester United in the Champions League, was the one player that he could not get the better of. Pirlo wrote of Park, "The midfielder must have been the first nuclear-powered South Korean in history, in the sense that he rushed about the pitch at the speed of an electron."[114]
In May 2020, former teammate Wayne Rooney said that Park was as important to the Manchester United side of 2006–2009 as he andCristiano Ronaldo were, commenting: "It's crazy but if you mentioned Cristiano Ronaldo to a 12-year-old, they would immediately say, 'Yeah, he was a brilliant player for Manchester United.' But if you said 'Ji-sung Park' they may not know who he was. Yet all of us who played with Park know he was almost as important to our success. That's because of what Park gave to the collective and I want to talk about teams. They – not stars – are the most important thing in sport. People say our United team had all these great players. In reality our biggest strength was as a pure counterattacking machine. We would sit back in our shape, win the ball and just go. Park or Fletch [Darren Fletcher] – or both – were always involved. They were vital to us. Players like me, Ronaldo,Tevez got the headlines but they [Park and Fletcher] were as important as us if not more, because of what they did for the team. We knew that inside the dressing room — and also that because they were so good at sacrificing themselves, their actual individual quality was often overlooked."[115]
On 19 January 2021, he joined aK League 1 clubJeonbuk Hyundai Motors as the advisor to help the selection, nurture, scouting, and training system of players.[122] At a similar time, he announced his resignation as United's ambassador.[123]
In December 2021, Park rejoined Queens Park Rangers, coaching the under-16s under the guidance of the technical directorChris Ramsey.[124]
After serving as an advisor, Park became technical director atJeonbuk Hyundai Motors in September 2022.[125] His career as a technical director for two years was unsuccessful. He scouted players and managerDan Petrescu after getting authority, but Jeonbuk was in danger of relegation during the2024 season. Petrescu resigned from the club in the middle of the season, and Park was also reinstated as an advisor.[126]
On 20 October 2024, Park participated at theNexon Icons Match, an exhibition game with two made-up teams of legendary footballers. He came off the bench to score a penalty kick in the 85th minute.[127]
Park has identified Brazilian former holding midfielderDunga as his football idol in his early years.[128]
Influenced by his parents, Park became aBuddhist.[129]
Park largely kept his personal life out of the spotlight and surprised the media by announcing his upcoming wedding to former television reporter Kim Min-ji at his retirement press conference.[130] They married on 27 July 2014 in South Korea,[131] and currently have a daughter and a son.[132]
Park's mother Jang Myung-ja and grandmother Kim Mae-shim both died on the same day of 12 January 2018.[133][134][unreliable source?]
Park is the founder of the charitable foundation, JS Foundation, set up in 2011, which develop and launch charity programs that will support football infrastructure and also the necessaries of life.[135][136] He is hosting theSuwon JS Cup [ko], contested between South Korea and guest youth teams, for development of the Korean youth players since 2015.[137]
He has participated in the Asian Dream Cup annual charity event with a team entitled "Park Ji-Sung and Friends". Fellow professionals who have played with him at the event include fellow South Korean internationalsAhn Jung-hwan andLee Chung-yong, North Korean internationalJong Tae-se and United teammate and former England captainRio Ferdinand, while celebrities who have also done so include current cast members and alumni of the popular SBS variety showRunning Man, including actorSong Joong-ki, singerKim Jong-kook and rapperGary. As a result, Park's involvement in the 2012 edition marked his first appearance on the show over three episodes.[138]
During his time with Manchester United, the chant for Park, "Park, Park wherever you may be," included the controversial lyrics generalizing and disparagingKoreans about eating dogs, which was deemed racist.[139][140] Park, who originally did not know the chant's meaning, still later said he accepted the chant since it meant no harm.[141][142] The chant, however, was later used on other South Korean playersJi So-yun andHwang Hee-chan by Manchester United fans even after Park's retirement.[143] When he participated in theanti-racism campaign of a South KoreanYouTube channel in 2020, the South Korean fans criticized Park for tolerating and allowing the racist chant to be used continuously on other South Korean players.[144] Park accepted the criticism and appealed to the United fans to stop singing his chant on behalf of Korean players and fans.[145]
^abPark's original date of birth, 25 February 1981,[2] is based on traditional Koreanlunisolar calendar.[3][4] According to theGregorian calendar, which is commonly used today, his date of birth is 30 March 1981.[5]
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