Park Hang-seo (

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...

: 박항서; born 1 October 1957) 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 ...

manager and former player who currently serves as the head coach of the Vietnam national team. He is credited for the rise of Vietnam national team's performance since the

2018 AFC U-23 Championship The 2018 AFC U-23 Championship (also known as the 2018 AFC U-23 Asian Cup) was the third edition of the AFC U-23 Championship, the biennial international age-restricted football championship organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ...

Playing career

Park was the captain of the South Korea under-20 squad which won the 1978 AFC Youth Championship. On 8 March 1981, Park made his senior international debut against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, which ended in a 1–0 victory. Park performed his mandatory military service in Army FC after he joined the semi-professional club . From 1984 to 1988, Park played for Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso, and contributed to the 1985 K League title. He received the

K League Best XI The K League Best XI is an award for the best eleven players in a K League season. K League 1 award (1983–present) Winners Players marked bold won the Most Valuable Player award in that respective year. Appearances by player Appearanc ...

award in that season.

Coaching career

After his professional retirement, Park started a coaching career at Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso in 1989. In November 1996, he was appointed a

caretaker manager In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...

and was in charge of one match in the

1996 Korean FA Cup The 1996 Korean FA Cup was the first edition of the Korean FA Cup. Bracket Round of 16 Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final Awards Source: See also *1996 in South Korean football *1996 K League *1996 Korean League Cup Referen ...

. From 1997 to February 2000, he was a coach of

Suwon Samsung 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) , chairma ...

. Park was one of the two assistant managers of

Guus Hiddink Guus Hiddink (; born 8 November 1946) is a Dutch former football manager and professional player. He enjoyed a long career playing as a midfielder in his native Netherlands. Retired as player in 1982, Hiddink went into management, leading both c ...

at the

2002 FIFA World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

Managerial career

South Korea U23

In August 2002, Park was appointed as head coach of the South Korean side for the

2002 Asian Games The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 � ...

by performing successfully as the senior team assistant. However,

Korea Football Association The Korea Football Association () is the governing body of football and futsal within South Korea. It sanctions professional, semi-professional and amateur football in South Korea. Founded in 1933, the governing body became affiliated with F ...

(KFA) had not done any preparation for the 2002 Asian Games since there was no manager or coaching staff for two years. KFA had focused on the

, which was co-hosted in South Korea, so Park had to prepare for the tournament in two months. In addition, KFA was criticized that Park worked without getting paid because they formally didn't sign with him. South Korea lost to

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

penalties Penalty or The Penalty may refer to: Sports * Penalty (golf) * Penalty (gridiron football) * Penalty (ice hockey) * Penalty (rugby) * Penalty (rugby union) * Penalty kick (association football) * Penalty shoot-out (association football) * Penalty ...

in the semi-finals, but won the bronze medal. Park was sacked after the tournament.

Career in K League

In August 2005, Park became the inaugural manager of the newly-formed

Gyeongnam FC Gyeongnam FC (Hangul: 경남 FC) is a South Korean professional football club based in South Gyeongsang Province that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. Its home stadium is the Changwon Football Center, located ...

in the

K League K League (Hangul: K리그) is South Korea's professional football league. It includes first division K League 1 and second division K League 2. History Until the 1970s, South Korean football operated two major football leagues, the National S ...

. Gyeongnam finished fourth in the 2007 K League season, but Park left the team due to internal conflict. In December 2007, he succeeded

Huh Jung-moo Huh Jung-moo (Korean: 허정무, Hanja: 許丁茂; born 13 January 1955) is a former South Korean football player and manager. Playing career Huh was one of the best South Korean college footballers before starting his semi-professional care ...

as the manager of

Jeonnam 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 ...

. The team finished as the runners-up of the 2008 League Cup and sixth in the

2009 K League The 2009 K League was the 27th season of the K League. It was held from 7 March to 6 December 2009, and a total of 15 teams contested, including newly formed Gangwon FC. Teams General information Managerial changes Regular season League tab ...

. He later resigned due to poor performances in the 2010 season. From 2012 to 2015, Park managed the military team

Sangju Sangmu Gimcheon Sangmu FC (Hangul: 김천 상무 프로축구단; Hanja: 金泉尚武 프로蹴球團) is a South Korean professional association football club based in Gimcheon that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. ...

in South Korea. Under his guidance, his squad won the country's second-division league,

K League Challenge The K League 2 (Hangul: K리그2) is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the K League 1. Hi ...

, in 2013 and 2015. He left the team after his contract expired after the 2015 season. In 2017, Park was appointed manager of Changwon City, a third-division team. Changwon won the 2017 Korea National League Championship, and he was named the tournament's best manager.

Vietnam

On 29 September 2017, Park was appointed the head coach of the

Vietnam national football team The Vietnam national football team ( vi, Đội tuyển bóng đá quốc gia Việt Nam) represents the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in international football and is controlled by the Vietnam Football Federation, the governing body of footbal ...

. Also in charge of the under-23 side, the team reached the final of the

, which is Vietnam's first final in the official AFC competitions. Upon his arrival to Vietnam, Park Hang-seo was greeted with skepticism and jeers from Vietnamese. Vietnam vs

At the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, was a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 A ...

, his side also advanced to the semi-finals and finished fourth for the first time in 56 years, with Park earning praise for his management. On 15 December 2018, the Vietnamese team under Park won the

AFF Championship The ASEAN Football Federation Championship (less formally the AFF Championship or AFF Cup), currently known as the AFF Mitsubishi Electric Cup for sponsorship reason, is the primary association football tournament organized by the ASEAN Football ...

after defeating

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, 3–2 on aggregate, in the second leg of the

finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

in Mỹ Đình National Stadium of Hanoi. This was Vietnam's first regional championship in ten years. In the

2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup was the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in the United Arab Emirates from 5 January to 1 ...

, Vietnam reached the quarter-finals but lost to eventual runner-up

, 1–0. Park won the gold medal at the

2019 Southeast Asian Games The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, was the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport event which ...

, thus winning the first football title for Vietnam as a united country at the games. In the very next Southeast Asian games in

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, he led Vietnam to defend their gold medal to win their 2nd straight title, before he resigns from the under 23/Olympic team. In the third round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, he led Vietnam got 4 points when they won 3-1 against China and drew 1-1 against Japan, which is Vietnam's best result in a FIFA World Cup qualification. He decided to leave Vietnam after his contract expires on 31 January 2023. The 2022 AFF Championship in December will be Park's last tournament as head coach of the Vietnam national football team.

Personal life

Park is a devout Methodist Christian. While coaching Vietnam, he was nicknamed "Coach Terminator" by the Vietnamese media, due to his tendency of defeating a number of notable managers and, directly or indirectly, forcing them into being sacked. Managers that were sacked or resigned for losing to Park's Vietnam include

Ján Kocian Ján Kocian (born 13 March 1958) is a Slovak football coach and former player who last managed ViOn Zlaté Moravce in Fortuna Liga and also held managerial positions across central Europe and Asia. Playing career During his playing days, he m ...

Sven-Göran Eriksson Sven-Göran Eriksson (; born 5 February 1948) is a Swedish football manager and former player. After an unassuming playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management between 1977 and 2001, winning 18 ...

Antoine Hey Antoine Hey (born 19 September 1970) is a German football coach and former professional player. He has been manager of Myanmar since October 2019. He spent most of his playing career in the top two divisions of German football, and went on to ...

, Simon McMenemy, Sirisak Yodyardthai,

Alexandre Gama Alexandre Torreira da Gama Lima Casado (born 4 January 1968) is a Brazilian football manager He is the currently manager Thai League 1 club of Lamphun Warriors. Playing career As a player, ''Alexandre Gama'' was known as "GAMA", started his ...

and

Bert van Marwijk Lambertus van Marwijk (; born 19 May 1952) is a Dutch football manager who was recently the head coach of the United Arab Emirates national team. As a player, he played for the Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, MVV and Fortuna Sittard amongst other club ...

Managerial statistics

Honours

Player

Hanyang University * Korean National Championship runner-up: 1980 *

Korean President's Cup The President's Cup National Football Tournament is a football competition, held by Korea Football Association, for South Korean semi-professional and amateur football clubs. This competition was originally one of major club competitions of So ...

: 1977 Lucky-Goldstar Hwangso *

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 ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

South Korea U20 * AFC Youth Championship:

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

Individual * K League 1 Best XI: 1985

Manager

Jeonnam Dragons *

Korean League Cup The Korean League Cup was a professional football competition in South Korean football. It was held by the K League Federation from 1986 to 2012. Sponsorship Champions List of finals Titles by club K League's principle of official stati ...

runner-up:

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Sangju Sangmu *

K League 2 The K League 2 (Hangul: K리그2) is the men's second-highest division of the South Korean football league system. It is contested between thirteen professional clubs, and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the K League 1. Hi ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

Changwon City *

Korea National League Championship Korea National League Championship was a football league cup competition operated by the Korea National League The Korea National League was a South Korean semi-professional football league held annually from 2003 to 2019. It was considered th ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

South Korea U23 *

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

bronze medal:

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

Vietnam U23 *

AFC U-23 Championship The AFC U-23 Asian Cup, previously the AFC U-22 Championship (in 2013) and AFC U-23 Championship (between 2016 and 2020), is a biennial international football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-23 ...

runner-up:

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Southeast Asian Games The Southeast Asian Games, also known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supe ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Vietnam *

Individual * K League 2 Manager of the Year: 2013 *

Best Manager: 2017 *

Order of Sport Merit The Order of Sport Merit () is one of the Republic of Korea's (South Korea) Orders of Merit. It is awarded to those who have rendered outstanding meritorious services in the interest of improving citizen's physique and national status through sp ...

- Maengho (Fierce Tiger/맹호장) : 2002 * Vietnamese Friendship Order: 2018 *Vietnamese

Labor Order The Labor Order ( vi, Huân chương lao động) is an award conferred or posthumously conferred by the Government of Vietnam on individuals and conferred on collectives that have recorded outstanding achievements in labor, creativity or natio ...

: **Third Class: 2018 **Second Class: 2020 * AFF Coach of the Year: 2019 *

Order of Diplomatic Service Merit The Order of Diplomatic Service Merit (Hangul: 수교훈장) is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of enhancing national prestige and promoting ...

- Heungin Medal (흥인장): 2022 *Asians of the Year Awards by the Asia Journalist Association: 2018 *Persons of the Year Awards by the Journalists Association of Korea: 2018 *Ranked 38th on the list of 40 most influential celebrities in South Korea by Forbes Korea in 2020.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Hang-seo 1959 births Living people Association football midfielders South Korean footballers South Korean football managers K League 1 players FC Seoul players FC Seoul non-playing staff FC Seoul managers Jeonnam Dragons managers Gimcheon Sangmu FC managers Sportspeople from South Gyeongsang Province South Korea under-20 international footballers South Korea international footballers South Korean Methodists South Korean expatriate football managers Vietnam national football team managers 2019 AFC Asian Cup managers