Coach Park Hang-seo of U23 Vietnam (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Men's football at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) does not only attract the attention of Southeast Asian audiences but also fans of the Republic of Korea (RoK).
This is understandable because there are two Korean coaches participating in this tournament. They are coach Park Hang-seo of U23 Vietnam and coach Shin Tae-yong of U23 Indonesia.
Immediately after U23 Vietnam defeated U23 Malaysia in the semifinal match and won the ticket to play in the final, the Korean press congratulated coach Park and expressed regret when coach Shin's team couldn't advance into the final.
Sport Seoul newspaper published an article with an opening sentence: "In the end, only the 'Original Hallyu' can smile". This is a statement full of hidden meanings. The author of the article, reporter Jung Da Woo, implicitly appreciates the 65-year-old strategist who is the motivator of the trend of hiring Korean coaches in Southeast Asia since 2018 and has brought many positive changes to regional football.
Coach Park and his players won when they got ticket to the final match against U23 Thailand, while coach Shin’s squad has stopped in the semi-finals and will compete for the bronze medal in a match against U23 Malaysia.
The same day, Chosun daily expressed regret when U23 Indonesia team of Shin Tae-yong lose to U23 Thailand. According to the newspaper, "the dream final match between two Korean coaches, Park Hang-seo and Shin Tae Yong, has disappeared". Now, only U23 Vietnam play U23 Thailand in the final match./.
