Born in the South Korean capital Seoul,[10] Park is one of the greatest and most successful Asian players in football history, having won 19 trophies in his career.

He won two Eredivisie titles, a KNVB Cup and a Johan Cruyff Shield in Eindhoven before his talents were recognised by Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson as PSV reached the semi-finals of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League.

[25] On 5 April 2000, in a 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification match against Laos, Park made his debut as a member of the national team, along with Lee Chun-soo.

In 2003, Park and South Korean teammate Lee Young-pyo moved to PSV in order to play under their mentor and former national team coach.

In the 2004–05 season, the departure of Arjen Robben to Chelsea afforded Park more starting opportunities and he quickly proved his worth to the team.

Along with Johann Vogel, DaMarcus Beasley and Dutchmen Mark van Bommel and Philip Cocu, Park formed the backbone of PSV's midfield play with his pace and passing.

[33] Nevertheless, thanks to these strong performances, Park was chosen, along with Andriy Shevchenko, Adriano, Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho, as one of the nominees for the 2005 UEFA Best Forward award.

[40] On 18 October 2005, Park became the first Asian to ever captain Manchester United when he took the armband from Ryan Giggs as he replaced him during a Champions League home group match against Lille.

His lack of appearances had caused much controversy in South Korea,[51] but he proved his worth when he delivered an assist to Wayne Rooney in the Champions League quarter-final match against Roma.

Park, however, was excluded from the squad to face Chelsea in the final despite starting both legs of the semi-final; manager Sir Alex Ferguson later stated that leaving him out was one of the hardest decisions he had had to make throughout his managerial career.

[53] On 13 December 2008, he made his 100th appearance for Manchester United, starting in the match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, the game ended 0–0.

He pounced on a slip by Kieran Gibbs and placed the ball over Manuel Almunia in the eighth minute, with the game ending 3–1 (4–1 on aggregate), advancing United to the Champions League final for the second year running.

[64] On 21 March 2010, Park scored a crucial winner in the derby against Liverpool, turning in Darren Fletcher's right-wing cross with a diving header.

Park returned to the United team for the first time following the World Cup as he started against a League of Ireland XI in their final pre-season game on 4 August 2010.

[78] On 8 May, Park assisted Javier Hernández's opening goal with an accurate through-ball just 36 seconds after the start of the crucial match, which virtually decided United's league title with a 2–1 victory over rivals Chelsea.

In the MLS All-Star Game, which Manchester United won 4–0, Park was named the man of the match after scoring a goal on the stroke of half-time.

On 26 December 2011, Park scored an early goal in United's 5–0 home win against Wigan Athletic with a neat, side-foot finish from Patrice Evra's cutback.

In an FA Cup fourth round clash against Liverpool, Park scored an equalising goal with a low finish from a Rafael cross to make it 1–1; however, United went on to lose the tie.

On 23 February 2012, Park captained Manchester United for the first time from the beginning of a match in a 2–1 home defeat to Ajax in the UEFA Europa League.

Despite initially being made club captain, a combination of injuries and lack of form meant that Park was unable to have the kind of impact that was expected after his signing from Manchester United.

"[86][87] Park began his international career for the South Korea under-23 team as an 18-year-old defensive midfielder, selected by the manager Huh Jung-moo.

South Korea eventually made it to the semi-finals with victories over Italy and Spain, becoming the first Asian team to do so in the history of the FIFA World Cup.

Park drew a crucial free kick that led to a red card for Jean-Paul Abalo, and Lee Chun-soo finished the chance with the equalising goal in the first Group G match, a 2–1 win over Togo.

[99] On 22 June 2010, South Korea drew 2–2 with Nigeria and Park won the man of the match award which is his fourth in the World Cup.

[19] South Korea successfully advanced to the knockout stage in the World Cup held in a foreign country for the first time, but lost 2–1 against Uruguay in the round of 16.

[102] South Korea coach Cho Kwang-rae confirmed on 28 January that Park had retired from international duty as he was left out of their 3–2 third place play-off victory over Uzbekistan.

[113] In his 2013 autobiography, I Think, Therefore I Play, Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo wrote that Park, who was deployed to man-mark him in matches for both PSV and Manchester United in the Champions League, was the one player that he could not get the better of.

Pirlo wrote of Park, "The midfielder must have been the first nuclear-powered South Korean in history, in the sense that he rushed about the pitch at the speed of an electron.

[121] On 19 January 2021, he joined a K League 1 club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors as the advisor to help the selection, nurture, scouting, and training system of players.

[129] Park largely kept his personal life out of the spotlight and surprised the media by announcing his upcoming wedding to former television reporter Kim Min-ji at his retirement press conference.