[17] It is believed Park became aware of Arsenal's interest and departed his hotel room without finishing a medical with the Ligue 1 club Lille.

[19] On 25 October 2011, he scored his first goal for Arsenal in the fourth round of the Football League Cup in a 2–1 home win against Bolton Wanderers.

[20] On 1 November, Park started his first UEFA Champions League match, a 0–0 draw against French outfit Marseille.

On 22 January 2012, he made his Premier league debut as a substitute, coming on at 82 minutes into a 2–1 home defeat against Manchester United.

[23] Park did not play a game for Arsenal for another 14 months until 30 October 2013 when he came on as a substitute for Aaron Ramsey on the 81st minute against Chelsea in the League Cup.

"[28] Amidst reported interest from Blackburn Rovers and Al-Hilal[29] and rumours of being linked to Nottingham Forest, on 31 August 2012, Park moved to Celta de Vigo on a season-long loan from Arsenal for the 2012–13 La Liga season.

[39][40] Despite his intention to stay in Europe after being released by Arsenal,[41] Park joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Shabab on 1 October 2014, signing a one-year contract.

[44][45] On 6 November 2016, he scored the only goal for FC Seoul in a 1–0 away victory against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the final round of the season, helping his team to win the 2016 K League 1.

[46] Park Chu-young was chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 AFC Youth Championship after leading the South Korean under-20 team to the title.

In the round of 16, Park's free kick just before halftime struck Uruguay's post, and South Korea eventually lost 2–1.

In their next match against China, Park played the entire game, scoring a goal in the 50th minute to help South Korea to a 3–0 win.

But in 2012, newly appointed head coach Choi Kang-hee named Lee Jung-soo as captain of the national side, replacing Park Chu-young.

In October 2011, Park announced that he would have to leave Arsenal in two years' time to serve in the military, which would halt his football career.

In March 2012, however, the South Korean Military Manpower Administration announced that Park could postpone his service until 2022, because he qualified for a long-term residency in Monaco.

[52] When controversy over his postponement of military service erupted, he denied avoiding conscription and promised to fulfill his obligation.

[53] Despite not playing regular first-team football for several years, Park was included in the South Korea national squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

He writes "Jesus Christ" next to his autograph and has spoken about his faith saying, "The first and main reason why I play football is to evangelise people.