Park Jong-woo ( ko, 박종우; born 10 March 1989) is a South Korean
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player, who currently plays for
Busan IPark
Busan IPark ( ko, 부산 아이파크) is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan that competes in K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean football pyramid. Its current home ground is Busan Gudeok Stadium.
The club was o ...
as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
. He has previously played for the Chinese club
Guangzhou R&F
Guangzhou City Football Club (广州城) is a Chinese professional football club that competes in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Guangzhou, Guangdong, and their home venu ...
and also in the
UAE Arabian Gulf League
The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...
for
Al Jazira and
Emirates
Emirates may refer to:
* United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country
* Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir
** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf
** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates
* The Emirat ...
. He has represented South Korea at age group and senior level, including the
Men's tournament at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
, and was part of the South Korean squad for
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
in Brazil.
Club career
Park joined
Busan IPark
Busan IPark ( ko, 부산 아이파크) is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan that competes in K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean football pyramid. Its current home ground is Busan Gudeok Stadium.
The club was o ...
from
Yonsei University
Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...
for the
2010 K-League
The 2010 K League, officially known as Sonata K-League 2010, was the 28th season of the K League. It was sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company, and was held from 27 February to 5 December 2010.
The K League match-fixing scandal, the biggest incide ...
season. Park's first appearance for his new club was in the
K League 1
The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs.
History
The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...
, as a substitute in the 3–0 win over
FC Seoul
FC Seoul ( ko, FC 서울) is a South Korean professional football club based in Seoul that competes in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The club is owned by GS Sports, a subsidiary of GS Group. They play their home games ...
on 2 May 2010. Since his debut, Park has established himself as a Busan regular, making several appearances in both 2010 and 2011. Park scored his first professional goal in a drawn match with the
Chunnam Dragons
The Jeonnam Dragons (Korean: 전남 드래곤즈) are a South Korean professional football club based in the city of Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. The Dragons play thei ...
on 21 August 2011.
Park enjoyed a personally successful 2012 season, in which he became a key figure for
Busan I'Park
Busan IPark ( ko, 부산 아이파크) is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan that competes in K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean football pyramid. Its current home ground is Busan Gudeok Stadium.
The club was o ...
in central midfield. His performances ensured his inclusion in the
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
squad for the London Olympics that summer.
Park continued his good form into 2013. On the opening day of the
K League 1
The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs.
History
The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...
season, during a 2–2 draw with
Gangwon
Gangwon or Kangwŏn may refer to:
* Gangwon Province (historical), the Goryeo, Joseon Dynasty and the Japanese Korean province
* Gangwon Province (South Korea), a province of South Korea, with its capital at Chuncheon. Before the division of Kore ...
, he assisted
Lim Sang-hyub's's opening goal, and later converted a penalty. On 7 August, Park scored the deciding goal, also from the penalty spot, in the 2–1 victory over
FC Seoul
FC Seoul ( ko, FC 서울) is a South Korean professional football club based in Seoul that competes in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The club is owned by GS Sports, a subsidiary of GS Group. They play their home games ...
in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, taking Busan into the semi-finals. Park was included in the official K League 1 Team of the Week on six occasions during the 2013 season.
On 13 February 2014, Park transferred to
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...
side
Guangzhou R&F
Guangzhou City Football Club (广州城) is a Chinese professional football club that competes in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Guangzhou, Guangdong, and their home venu ...
. After a year and a half with the Chinese club, Park transferred to
Al Jazira on 6 July 2015, on a three-year contract. He was a regular member of the team that were crowned champions of the 2016/17
Arabian Gulf League
The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...
.
After one season with
Emirates Club
Emirates Club ( ar, نادي الإمارات) is a professional football club based in the city of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. They play in the UAE Pro League after being promoted from the UAE First Division League. They play their h ...
in the
UAE Arabian Gulf League
The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...
, Park transferred to Korean side
Suwon Bluewings
''(The Blue, White and Reds)''Tricolor''
, short name = SSB
, image =
, caption =
, founded =
, ground = Suwon World Cup Stadium
, capacity = 44,031
, owner = Cheil Worldwide(Samsung's subsidiary)
, chairman ...
for the second half of the 2018 Korean season.
On 12 January 2019 Park signed for
Busan IPark
Busan IPark ( ko, 부산 아이파크) is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan that competes in K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean football pyramid. Its current home ground is Busan Gudeok Stadium.
The club was o ...
, the club at which he began his professional career. Park was named Busan vice-captain for the 2019 season and was a regular starter as the club finished second in the league and achieved promotion to the
K League 1
The K League 1 (Hangul: K리그1) is the men's top professional football division of the South Korean football league system. The league is contested by twelve clubs.
History
The South Korean professional football league was founded in 1 ...
. He contributed seven assists and was shortlisted for the
K League 2 Bext XI. Park was named club captain for the 2021 season.
International career
Park was included in the South Korean squad for the
2012 London Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. He started all three group games as South Korea finished second in their group and advanced to the next round. In the quarter-final match with Great Britain, Park played the entire 120 minutes as the game went to a penalty shoot-out. Park scored the fourth penalty for Korea, who won the shoot-out 5–4. Park was an unused substitute in the semi-final defeat to Brazil, but returned to the starting line-up for the third place play-off victory over Japan, which ensured Korea were bronze medal winners.
After impressing as a midfield partner for
Ki Sung-yueng
Ki Sung-yueng (Hangul: ; Hanja: ; ; born 24 January 1989) is a South Korean professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder or a defensive midfielder for the K League 1 club FC Seoul.
From 2008 to 2019, Ki was a full international f ...
at the Olympic Games, Park made his full international debut on 17 October 2012 in a World Cup qualifying defeat to Iran. He represented Korea in the
2013 East Asian Cup, and was also part of the squad for the
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...
in Brazil. He was an unused substitute in all three group games as Korea were eliminated at the group stage.
Park returned to the national team squad after a three-year absence for the friendly games against Russia and Morocco in October 2017.
London Olympics controversy
Although the International Olympic Committee prohibits players from making political statements, following South Korea's victory of Japan in the bronze medal match of the men's football, Park displayed the sign with a slogan of justification for Korea's occupation of the
Liancourt Rocks
The Liancourt Rocks, also known by their Korean name of Dokdo or their Japanese name of Takeshima,; ; . form a group of islets in the Sea of Japan between the Korean peninsula and the Japanese archipelago. The Liancourt Rocks comprise two ...
, known as Dokdo or Tokto (독도, literally) in
Korean
Korean may refer to:
People and culture
* Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula
* Korean cuisine
* Korean culture
* Korean language
**Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl
**Korean dialects and the Jeju language
** ...
, or in
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
. As a consequence he was banned from the medal ceremony and unlike his other 17 teammates he did not receive a bronze medal for his performance. It was also announced that he was under investigation by the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
and football's governing body
FIFA
FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
, both of which have rules that prohibit political statements by athletes on the field.
South Korea exempts Olympic medalists from
military service
Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job (volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription).
Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require a ...
. Despite Park not receiving a medal due to his political statement South Korean sports minister
Choe Kwang-shik stated that regardless of what the IOC investigation decides Park will still not be required to do the two years of military service that South Korean men are required to do.
FIFA failed to reach a conclusion on the case at a meeting at its Zurich headquarters held on 5 October, and the disciplinary committee discussed the case again on the following week, then failed to reach a verdict again.
After that, the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) announced that Park would receive his bronze medal.
However, the case was heard again by the committee on 20 November, and FIFA finally decided and announced on 3 December to suspend Park for two matches after he was considered to have breached the FIFA Disciplinary Code and the Regulations of the Olympic Football Tournaments. FIFA also impose a warning on the Korea Football Association and reminded it of its obligation to properly instruct its players on all the pertinent rules and applicable regulations before the start of any competition, in order to avoid such incident in the future. The Korea Football Association was warned that should incidents of such nature occur again in the future, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee may impose harsher sanctions on the Korea Football Association.
On 11 February 2013, Park attended an
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
disciplinary hearing at Lausanne, Switzerland. After the Disciplinary Commission reviewed Park's action at the Olympics, the IOC decided to give the player the medal he had been barred from collecting for several months. Park was subsequently awarded his Olympic bronze medal, following a ruling by the International Olympic Committee over his celebration at the London Olympic Games.
Club career statistics
''Updated 17 October 2022''
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Jong-woo
1989 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Seongnam
Men's association football midfielders
South Korean men's footballers
South Korea men's international footballers
Busan IPark players
Guangzhou City F.C. players
Al Jazira Club players
Emirates Club players
K League 1 players
K League 2 players
Chinese Super League players
2014 FIFA World Cup players
Footballers at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Olympic footballers for South Korea
Olympic medalists in football
Olympic bronze medalists for South Korea
Yonsei University alumni
Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
South Korean expatriate sportspeople in China
Expatriate men's footballers in China
South Korean expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates
Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates
UAE Pro League players
Footballers from Gyeonggi Province