‘Sal Dink’ We can think of him with this one word.
A soccer hero who took over as coach of the Vietnam soccer team in 2017 and returned after leaving behind many achievements in Vietnamese soccer over the past six years.
Today’s time machine protagonist is Vietnam’s Hiddink, Park Hang-seo.
◈ Soccer, we should have met sooner..!
Park Hang-seo during his Lucky Venus days. Sports Seoul DB
Park Hang-seo started playing soccer relatively late, first joining the soccer team in high school. Afterwards, he spent a short time as a professional player, working for a business team and serving in the military.
National team member Park Hang-seo. Sports Seoul DB
In 1981, Park Hang-seo debuted as a player for Korea First Bank, an industrial team at the time, and his skills were so outstanding that he was selected for the national team.
Lucky Venus soccer player Park Hang-seo (left). Sports Seoul DB
Then, in 1984, he transferred to the Lucky Goldstar Bulls Football Club, now FC Seoul. In 1985, Park Hang-seo was the ace of the Lucky Gold Star Bulls soccer team, winning the league championship and being selected as one of the league’s best 11 midfielders.
But unfortunately, Park Hang-seo announced his retirement at the age of 31 after the 1988 season.
◈ Dreams come true! 2002 World Cup, head coach Park Hang-seo next to coach Hiddink
Coach Hiddink (left) and head coach Park Hang-seo in April 2002. Sports Seoul DB
Clap, clap, clap, clap, Korea!
The 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, a legendary semi-final that cannot be left out in the history of Korean soccer.
Park Hang-seo was also there as head coach.
Coach Park Hang-seo (right) and Coach Hiddink are posing affectionately with their arms around each other during their first meeting in 2001. photos | Reporter Kang Young-jo
A match against the Czech Republic in 2001. Korea suffered a miserable loss, losing 5-0 for the third time in history. Coach Hiddink (left) and Park Hang-seo. Sports Seoul DB
2002 Korea vs England friendly match. Coach Park Hang-seo (right) and Coach Hiddink protesting to the coach. Sports Seoul DB
Guus Hiddink, the national team coach at the time, said that Korea’s unique vertical relationship between seniors and juniors hinders creativity in soccer, and emphasized that juniors should always point out when seniors make mistakes. This philosophy was met with a positive response, but also criticism that the national team coach did not understand the culture of the country, but Park Hang-seo played an important role as a bridge between the coach and the players.
Coach Hiddink (right) started playing foot volleyball during national team training in 2001. Due to his lack of skills, he is contributing(?) to the team by interfering with Coach Park Hang-seo’s attack. photos | Reporter Choi Seung-seop
Coach Hiddink is watching with amusement as coaches Park Hang-seo and Lee Cheon-soo fight for the ball during practice. Sports Seoul DB
Coach Park Hang-seo is encouraging Hwang Sun-hong, who came on as a substitute during the 2002 FIFA Korea-Japan World Cup match against the United States. Sports Seoul DB
In June 2002, after completing recovery training with my close friends Hong Myung-bo (left) and Hwang Seon-hong (right)… . Park Hang-seo teases Hong Myung-bo by pinching his side.
He received the Maengho Medal of the Order of Sports Merit from the Korean government in recognition of his efforts to integrate the Korean national team and his performance of fourth place in the World Cup.
Park Hang-seo also expressed his affection for Coach Hiddink on a broadcast, saying that he still has Coach Hiddink’s AD card from the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup that Coach Hiddink gave him as a gift when he left Korea.
Former coach Hiddink (right), who visited Paju NFC in September 2002, meets coach Park Hang-seo for the first time in two months and has a pleasant conversation. photos | Reporter Choi Seung-seop
Hiddink (left) and Park Hang-seo embrace warmly before recording the SBS World Cup special program in May 2006. Sports Seoul DB
After the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, Hiddink was officially disbanded and Park Hang-seo was appointed as coach for the 2002 Busan Asian Games held in the same year.
The results of the competition were disappointing, but from then on, Park Hang-seo began to walk the path of becoming a leader again, step by step.
Coach Park Hang-seo (right) is giving strategy instructions to Park Ji-sung before entering overtime in the soccer semifinals of the Busan Asian Games in October 2002. Sports Seoul DB
Coach Park Hang-seo consoling Lee Young-pyo, who missed a penalty shootout at the Busan Asian Games in October 2002. Sports Seoul DB
◈ “Do you know Park Hang-seo?”… ‘Papa Leadership’ shines in Vietnam
You did your best, don’t bow your head.
Coach Park Hang-seo instructing the Vietnam U-23 national soccer team during training in 2019. photos | Reporter Park Jin-up
Vietnam advanced to the FIFA World Cup final qualifying round for the first time in its football history, advanced to the semifinals of the Asian Games for the first time since unification of Vietnam, and won the Southeast Asian Games for the first time in 60 years… .
Coach Park Hang-seo playing with his players during training for the 2019 Vietnam U-23 national soccer team. photos | Reporter Park Jin-up
Park Hang-seo returned from Vietnam with many accomplishments. These are the things that were accomplished within five years after taking office as CEO in 2017.
Park Hang-seo caused the ‘papa leadership’ syndrome in Vietnam.
When Park Hang-seo first went to Vietnam, his communication was not smooth, so the method he came up with was ‘skinship.’
However, skinship had to be based on trust, and to build that trust, we decided to become ‘one team’ with the players.
He thoroughly respected and participated in Vietnamese culture. He enjoyed local food together and followed the same rules as himself, such as not using cell phones while eating and being punctual.
Park Hang-seo, who looked like a strict trainer during training, massaged the players’ feet and took care of their personal matters after training. In this way, Park Hang-seo became a friendly ‘Papa’ to the Vietnamese players.
At the 2018 Asian Games, Vietnam, led by Park Hang-seo, also played against South Korea.
Park Hang-seo recalled that time on a broadcast and said, “Vietnamese players were already intimidated when they heard Son Heung-min was coming.” However, he said he calmed the players’ minds by saying, “Don’t be scared.”
The result was a 3:1 win for South Korea, who won the gold medal at the time, but Vietnam, whose goal was to advance to the round of 16, achieved its best performance in history by advancing to the semifinals of the Asian Games.
He was the first foreigner to receive a second-class labor medal from the President of Vietnam, and when his mother celebrated her 100th birthday, he personally received a congratulatory gift.
Additionally, Vietnamese airlines promised to provide free business boarding passes for life.
Coin commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Vietnam. Source: Korea Minting and Minting Corporation website
The commemorative coin commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Vietnam, released simultaneously with Korea in 2022, is engraved with Park Hang-seo’s famous quote, “You did your best, so don’t bow your head.”
Previously, Park Hang-seo encouraged the Vietnamese players, who were shrinking after losing to Uzbekistan in the 2018 AFC U-23 Tournament and taking second place, saying, “You did your best, so don’t bow your head.”
It is said that these words were later cited as the topic of a Vietnamese high school essay test.
Although his relationship as the national soccer team coach has ended, Park Hang-seo is now trying to nurture promising youth soccer players in Vietnam.
He recently launched the ‘Park Hang-seo International Football Academy’ in Vietnam. This is the first academy in Vietnam to establish an advanced youth system in collaboration with schools and educational facilities under the slogan, ‘Children are the future of society.’먹튀검증
The ‘Park Hang-seo International Football Academy’, which held an official launching event in Hanoi, Vietnam last August, has a key goal of transplanting an advanced youth football system to Vietnam, where Vietnamese children, starting from elementary school, experience and learn about football and grow.
Chung Mong-gyu (left), Chairman of Hyundai Development Company, and Park Hang-seo. Source: Pony Chung Foundation website
Park Hang-seo was also selected as the winner of the 17th Pony Chung Innovation Award this year. This award, named after ‘PONY 鄭’, the nickname of the late Chung Se-young, founder of Hyundai Motor Company and honorary chairman of HDC Group (formerly Hyundai Development Company), is given to those who have brought about positive changes in society through innovative thinking.
After taking office as coach of the Vietnam men’s national soccer team, coach Park Hang-seo became the first soccer player to receive the award for playing a bridge role in strengthening friendly relations between the two countries by breaking the all-time record.
◈ Vietnamese soccer hero → entertainment beginner cutie ♥
The popularity of Vietnamese superstar Park Hang-seo seen in ‘Son Doong Cave’. Source: tvN
Currently, Park Hang-seo is showing off his honest and human charm through entertainment programs.
This is the story of the tvN entertainment show ‘Exploring the Wild 3 Million Years Ago: Son Doong Cave’, in which Ahn Jung-hwan, Kim Nam-il, Choo Seong-hoon, and Kim Dong-jun go to Vietnam to explore an unknown cave.
“If this expedition is compared to the soccer game of my life, it can be seen as an overtime game. I definitely don’t think we will fail on this journey,” Park Hang-seo
said before exploring the cave. As expected from a sportsperson, he had a competitive spirit in entertainment as well.
However, contrary to his charismatic determination, he is afraid of meeting snakes even before the expedition and is constantly teased by the younger members, showing off his clumsy side and making viewers laugh.
At the same time, Park Hang-seo showed invisible leadership by taking the initiative in hard work for the team, reminding the team, ‘Of course, Papa Park Hang-seo!’
Park Hang-seo is also scheduled to appear on a soccer entertainment show.
In the trailer for the representative soccer entertainment show ‘We Have to Come Together 3’, which is scheduled to air in October, he was seen participating as an applicant and auditioning. In the video, a situation is created in which his best friend Ahn Jung-hwan drops him, raising expectations about what kind of ‘bickering chemistry’ the two will show.
This small soccer giant, who is strong and capable of all things, is doing his best in his role today and is there with a personable scent.