Park Tae-ha

1.1. Club career

Born on May 29, 1968, in Yeongdeok County, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Park Tae-ha attended Gyeongju Jeongbo High School and Daegu University. He officially began his professional career in 1991 when he was the first-round draft pick for Pohang POSCO Atoms.

He played for eight seasons as a one-club man for Pohang Steelers, with the exception of his military service period from 1993 to 1995, during which he played for Sangmu FC. During his ten years with Pohang, he contributed significantly to the club's success, helping them secure the K League title in 1992 and finish as runner-up in 1995. The team also achieved third place in the K League 1 in 1991, 1996, and 1998.

Park also played a crucial role in Pohang's domestic cup victories, including the League Cup in 1993 and the FA Cup in 1996. The club was also a two-time League Cup runner-up in 1996 and the 1997 Prospecs Cup, and an FA Cup runner-up in 2001. On the international stage, he was part of the Pohang Steelers squad that won the Asian Club Championship twice consecutively in 1996-97 and 1997-98. They also reached the finals of the Asian Super Cup twice (1997, 1998) and the Afro-Asian Club Championship twice (1997, 1998) as runners-up. After a decade-long career, Park Tae-ha retired from professional football at the end of the 2001 season.

1.2. International career

Park Tae-ha made his international A-match debut for the South Korea national football team on February 16, 1994, in a friendly match against Romania. Two years and three months later, in August 1996, he made a significant impact during the 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification tournament. In the first match of Group 1 against Guam, held at Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, he scored a hat-trick, marking his debut goals for the national team. He went on to score a total of six goals in three qualification matches, playing a key role in South Korea's qualification for the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, their first appearance in eight years. He played for the national team from 1992 to 1999, accumulating 11 appearances and scoring 7 goals.

1.3. Player awards

During his playing career, Park Tae-ha received several individual and team accolades:

• Club (Player)
  • Pohang Steelers
    • K League 1: Winner (1992), Runner-up (1995), Third Place (1991, 1996, 1998)
    • League Cup: Winner (1993), Runner-up (1996, 1997 Prospecs Cup)
    • Korea Cup: Winner (1996), Runner-up (2001)
    • Asian Club Championship: Winner (1996-97, 1997-98)
    • Afro-Asian Club Championship: Runner-up (1997, 1998)
    • Asian Super Cup: Runner-up (1997, 1998)
  • Sangmu FC
    • National Industrial Football Federation Championship: Winner (1992 Spring, 1994 Spring), Runner-up (1993 Spring)
• Individual
  • K League Best 11: 1992

2.1. Early coaching career

Park Tae-ha began his coaching journey in 2005 by joining his former club, Pohang Steelers, as a scout. He later transitioned into a coaching role, serving for two years. During this period, Pohang achieved third place in the 2005 League Cup and the 2006 K League. His most notable achievement with Pohang as a coach was contributing to their K League 1 title in 2007, the club's first league championship in 15 years, and reaching the FA Cup final as runner-up.

Following Pohang's league triumph, Park was appointed coach of the South Korea national football team in 2007. He served as a coach and later as a head coach for four years until 2011. During his tenure with the national team, he played a role in South Korea's historic achievement of reaching the Round of 16 at an away World Cup for the first time. He also contributed to the team's third-place finish in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, marking their second consecutive third-place finish in the tournament.

After the dismissal of then-national team manager Cho Kwang-rae in 2011, Park took a brief break from coaching. In 2012, he joined FC Seoul as a head coach under manager Choi Yong-soo. In this role, he helped FC Seoul secure their fifth K League 1 title in the 2012 season.

2.2. Overseas managerial career

In early 2015, Park Tae-ha took on his first professional team managerial role, becoming the head coach of Yanbian Fude in the China League One. The team had finished last in the 2014 season and was facing relegation to the China League Two, but managed to stay in League One due to other teams being disqualified for wage issues. In his debut season as manager, Park led Yanbian Fude to the League One title, securing their promotion to the Chinese Super League for the upcoming 2016 season. For this remarkable achievement, he was awarded the China League One Best Manager Award in 2015.

In their first season back in the Chinese Super League in 2016, Yanbian Fude finished ninth out of sixteen teams, successfully avoiding relegation. However, in the 2017 season, the team finished 15th, resulting in their relegation back to League One after just two seasons. In the 2018 season, Yanbian Fude finished 10th, and Park Tae-ha subsequently stepped down from his managerial position at the end of the season.

Following his departure from Yanbian Fude, Park Tae-ha was appointed manager of the China women's B team in 2018. He led the team in the 2019 AFC U-19 Women's Championship, where they were drawn into Group B alongside South Korea, Japan, and Myanmar. China lost their opening match 1-2 to South Korea, secured a dominant 5-1 victory against Myanmar in their second match, but ultimately fell 1-2 to Japan in the final group stage match. This result led to their elimination from the group stage and failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

2.3. Managerial statistics

2.4. Current managerial role

On December 15, 2023, Park Tae-ha was appointed manager of the Pohang Steelers, succeeding Kim Gi-dong, who had moved to FC Seoul. This marked his return to his former club after 16 years. In the 2024 K League 1 season, he led Pohang Steelers to qualify for the Final A group for the third consecutive season. He also guided the team to their second consecutive and sixth overall Korea Cup title in 2024, defeating their Donghae Derby rivals Ulsan HD. This victory secured their qualification for the next season's AFC Champions League Two and their third consecutive appearance in an Asian club competition.

2.5. Managerial awards

Park Tae-ha has achieved various team and individual awards during his managerial career:

• Club (Coach/Manager)
  • Pohang Steelers (Head Coach)
    • K League 1: Winner (2007), Third Place (2006)
    • League Cup: Third Place (2005)
    • Korea Cup: Runner-up (2007)
  • FC Seoul (Head Coach)
    • K League 1: Winner (2012)
  • Yanbian Fude
    • China League One: Winner (2015)
  • Pohang Steelers (Manager)
    • Korea Cup: Winner (2024)
• National Team (Coach)
  • South Korea (Head Coach)
    • AFC Asian Cup: Third Place (2011)
• Individual
  • China League One Best Manager Award: 2015