Park Joo-young May Join National Team

Johannes Bonfrere, the head coach of the Korean national football team, has revealed the possibility of “soccer genius” Park Joo-young (20, FC Seoul) joining the national team.

Returning from his vacation to the Netherlands on May 4, Bonfrere said, “It is time to seriously consider selecting Park Joo-young to the national team,” adding, “I will reach a final conclusion after consulting the coaching staff.”

Having had a lukewarm attitude toward Park Joo-young so far, this is the first time Bonfrere has mentioned the possibility of Park Joo-young joining the team.

Park Joo-young will play for Korea in the World Youth Championships that start on June 10 in the Netherlands. Accordingly, if Park Joo-young is to join the national team, an arrangement may have to be made with the youth national team before the 2006 World Cup Germany preliminary finals against Uzbekistan and Kuwait on June 3 and 9.

Bonfrere said, “Park Joo-young has changed considerably from his time at Korea University to his K-League debut match. I heard he has improved, and therefore, this is the time to consider his selection.”

Bonfrere has already received Park Joo-young’s K-league statistics from the Korean Professional Football League.

“I asked the coaching staff to watch a few players during my absence,” said Bonfrere. “They probably watched Park Joo-young score the goals. I will make a decision based on the data after holding a staff meeting.”

However Bonfrere said, “Joining the national team does not mean he will be guaranteed a starting position. He won’t become a starting member on the national team just because he has shown a good performance for a few games in the pro league. He must show constant improvement.”

Soon-Il Kwon stt77@donga.com