South Korea won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1956, held in Hong Kong, and successfully defended the title on home soil in 1960.
Park was evaluated as the greatest South Korean manager at the time by leading Ilhwa Chunma to three consecutive K League titles, but he disappointed his country in the competition.
South Korea reached the semi-finals in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, but their performance wasn't continued after Guus Hiddink left them.
After excluding three Premier League players (Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo and Seol Ki-hyeon) due to their injuries, South Korea had difficulty again in the Asian Cup.
[1][2] They won both matches, but expressed dissatisfaction with Stielike, who then handed over command to assistant manager Shin Tae-yong for the rest of the tournament.
[3][4][5] Goalkeeper Kim Jin-hyeon then kept a clean sheet in every match until the final, as the team eliminated Uzbekistan and Iraq in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, respectively.
[6] South Korea narrowly advanced to the semi-finals after knocking out Saudi Arabia on penalties and Australia in extra time, but Klinsmann was heavily criticised for his lack of tactical ability.
[7] Korean FA president Chung Mong-gyu, who directly appointed Klinsmann as national team manager without a general process, was called to be held responsible for his decision after South Korea's semi-final loss to Jordan without a shot on target.