1. Overview
Park Choong-kyun (박충균Korean; born June 20, 1973) is a South Korean former professional footballer who played as a defender, and is currently a football manager. His career spans playing for several K League clubs in South Korea and coaching various teams, including national youth and senior sides, and clubs in South Korea, Guam, China, and Vietnam. He represented South Korea at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
2. Playing career
Park Choong-kyun had a notable playing career as a defender, primarily in the K League, and represented South Korea internationally, including at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
2.1. Club career
Park Choong-kyun began his professional career in the K League in 1996, joining Suwon Samsung Bluewings. In his debut season, he made 10 appearances for the club. In 1999, he enlisted in the military to play for Sangmu FC, a football club for military personnel. After his discharge, he returned to Suwon for the first half of the 2001 season, making 2 appearances.
In the summer transfer window of the 2001 season, Park transferred to Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma. He scored his professional debut goal on September 26, 2001, in a match against Daejeon Citizen. During the 2001 season with Seongnam, he played 9 matches, recording 1 goal and 1 assist.
Before the 2004 season, he moved to Busan Icons. He then transferred to Daejeon Citizen before the 2006 season, where he played 22 matches. Park returned to Busan IPark for the 2007 season.
2.2. International career
Park Choong-kyun made his senior national team debut for South Korea on January 31, 1995, in a Carlsberg Cup semi-final match against Colombia. He also participated in the 1995 Dynasty Cup, making 3 appearances in the tournament.
He was included in the final squad for the South Korea U-23 national team that competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. The team finished third in Group C of the tournament.
3. Managerial career
Following his playing career, Park Choong-kyun embarked on a managerial path that encompassed coaching roles at various levels, from youth development to assistant and head coaching positions for clubs and national teams in South Korea, Guam, China, and Vietnam.
3.1. Early coaching
Park Choong-kyun began his coaching career in 2009, taking on the role of coach for the football team at Poongsaeng Middle School in South Korea.
3.2. Club assistant coaching
In 2011, Park was appointed as a coach for Ulsan Hyundai FC, initially serving as a second team coach. Following Choi Kang-hee's move to Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors as head coach, Park joined his coaching staff at Jeonbuk. During his tenure as an assistant coach at Jeonbuk, the club achieved significant success, including multiple K League titles and an AFC Champions League title.
3.3. National team assistant coaching
In 2012, Park Choong-kyun was appointed as an assistant coach for the South Korea national football team under newly appointed head coach Choi Kang-hee. He served in this capacity during the 2012-2013 period.
Later, in July 2021, he was temporarily appointed as an assistant coach for the Vietnam national football team under head coach Park Hang-seo. This move occurred when assistant coach Lee Young-jin returned to South Korea due to family matters. Park Hang-seo proposed Park Choong-kyun for the role, and Hanoi FC, where Park Choong-kyun was then managing, agreed to release him for national team duty, as the V-League 2021 season was postponed at the time. He assisted Park Hang-seo during the final round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
3.4. Club head coaching
Park Choong-kyun's first head coaching role was in the summer of 2010, when he was appointed as the head coach of the Guam national football team.
In October 2018, he took over as manager of Tianjin Tianhai F.C. (then known as Tianjin Quanjian) in the Chinese Super League. At the time of his appointment, Tianjin Tianhai had only five matches remaining in the season and was in the relegation zone. The team had gone seven matches without a win, including five consecutive losses. Park Choong-kyun's leadership proved impactful, as he guided the team to avoid relegation. He recorded 2 goals and 3 assists in the five matches he managed. After successfully securing the team's top-flight status for the 2019 season, he voluntarily resigned from the position.
In May 2019, Park returned to Tianjin Tianhai as manager. However, his second stint was short-lived, as he was dismissed in October 2019 due to the team's poor performance.
In April 2021, Park was appointed as the head coach of Hanoi FC in the Vietnamese V.League 1, signing a two-year contract. He made history as the first foreign coach for the club.
On November 10, 2022, Park Choong-kyun was appointed as the manager of Seoul E-Land FC in the K League 2. He signed a three-year contract with the club. However, due to unsatisfactory results, he departed the club by mutual consent on November 30, 2023, and was succeeded by Kim Do-kyun.
4. Awards and honours
Park Choong-kyun's career as both a player and a manager has been marked by several significant team achievements and honours.
4.1. Player awards
As a player, Park Choong-kyun achieved team success with Suwon Samsung Bluewings:
- K League 1
- Winner: 1998
4.2. Managerial awards
As an assistant coach for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Park Choong-kyun contributed to the team's numerous championships:
- K League 1
- Winner: 2014, 2015, 2017
- AFC Champions League
- Winner: 2016