Park Hang-seo lauded for humble leadership

Park Hang-seo, the South Korean head coach of Vietnam’s under-23 national football team, returns for a brief home visit through Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Thursday. Park led Vietnam to the semifinals at the Asian Games in Indonesia that closed earlier in the month, the country’s best performance at the Asiad. The feat earned him hero status in Vietnam, where people have started to demand a pay raise for the coach. / Yonhap

By Kang Aa-young

Park Hang-seo, the South Korean coach for the Vietnamese national football team, stayed humble about his latest achievement at the Asian Games, saying he is pleased to have left a “small footprint” in the country’s football history.

“I know many Koreans cheered the Vietnamese national football team during the Jakarta Palembang 2018 Asian Games. I thank you all for your support,” Park told reporters Thursday upon arriving in South Korea.

He arrived at Incheon International Airport for a post-Asian Games vacation, which drew a media frenzy.

Park has become a hero for Vietnamese football fans after the country’s U-23 football team advanced to the semifinals during the Asiad. After losing to South Korea in the semifinal game, Vietnam also lost to Arab Emirates in a penalty shootout in the game to determine the bronze medal winner.

Vietnam’s advance to the Asian Games semifinals came months after its national football team stunned Asia by rising to be the runner-up in the 2018 AFC U-23 championship.

“Before the Asiad started, I had an opportunity to sit down with Vietnam’s sports minister,” he said when asked about the pressure ahead of the sporting event. “The minister told me if Vietnam were to advance to the round of 16, this would be enough,” Park quoted him as saying.

He went on to say that the Vietnamese media also didn’t expect much for their national football team’s performance at the Asian Games, saying he didn’t have much pressure. “They didn’t have high expectations for the Asiad, but hoped that we could pull together for good results.”

The South Korean media outlets called Park, the “Korean Hiddink,” comparing his work to the miracle-like accomplishment the Vietnamese football team achieved after the South Korean coach joined it last year.

The nickname came from the Dutch coach Guus Hiddink who led the South Korean national team to advance to the semifinals at the 2002 World Cup.

At that time, Park served on the South Korean coaching staff.

Asked to answer how he felt about the nickname, Park was humble and said he was not comparable to the Dutch coach.

He expressed satisfaction for leaving a small footprint in Vietnamese football history. In Vietnam, he was reportedly lauded for his humble leadership.

Instead of showing off what the national team achieved under his leadership, Park thanked his players and the football fans in Vietnam for their unwavering support.

Despite his humble attitude, he has drawn a massive spotlight from the country’s citizens after the national team’s consecutive record-breaking success.

Some say the Vietnamese government should extend his contract, while some say his annual salary, 300 million won, is too low considering his accomplishment. Considering foreign coaches’ salary in Vietnam, his annual income is not high.

Though career success should not be determined only by salary, some criticized that his pay is lower than his performance.

Park said he didn’t care much about his income.

“I’m enjoying staying with the players. The salary was already determined when I signed the contact. I’m satisfied with the current situation and am putting in my best efforts,” he said.

Asked how he felt about the praise among some Koreans that he sets a good example in his goodwill ambassador-like role between Korea and Vietnam, Park said he always tries to remember he’s a Korean.

“I placed my hand on my chest when the national anthem played before the semifinal game between South Korea and Vietnam during the Asian Games. Some Vietnamese media outlets reported this,” he said. “I’m a Korean but have worked hard to improve the Vietnamese national football team. I will continue to do so.”

Park will stay in the country till the end of September to rest.

He will bring the team to Korea in October to train the players for the AFF Cup Championship that kicks off in November.