Although he was born in the South Korean capital, Seoul, Park grew up in Suwon, a satellite city 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Seoul. He began playing football during his fourth year of elementary school. During this time, Park was known as one of the greatest young talents in South Korea and was being looked at by a number of different clubs. He was well known for his excellent work rate, mesmerizing dribbling and pinpoint passes. While in high school (March 1996 – February 1999), he helped his high school team win the national championship in 1998, though he was at that point rejected by a number of professional clubs and universities, due to his small stature. He ended up playing for Myongji University after his high school coach strongly recommended him to the university coach.
From the winter vacation of his third high school year, he began to train with his university team as a soon to be member. A few weeks later, in January 1999, his university team was given the chance to train with the South Korean Olympics Team. After a splendid performance, he attracted the attention of Huh Jung-Moo, the coach of the Olympic Team and South Korean national team (October 1998 – November 2000). Thereafter he became a preliminary member of the Olympics Team, and finally a formal member of its squad. At 18 years old, if Park was selected, it was believed that he would have been selected for under-20 team instead of Huh's Olympics team, the under-23 team. This selection was so unexpected for Park and others that it was rumoured that Huh selected Park in response for Huh's defeat at a game of Go between Huh and the university coach. 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 June 2000, while he was a national team member and a second year student at Myongji University, Kyoto Purple Sanga of Japan offered Park a contract and he took the offer though he was still a relative unknown. Park was the first instance of a relatively unknown Korean player being offered a contract by a Japanese club. In September 2000, at the 2000 Summer Olympics, his Olympics team failed to advance to the knockout stage, and the Korea national football team replaced head coach Huh Jung-Moo with Guus Hiddink.
In the closing months of the 2004–05 season, Park chose to join Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. Park signed for the Premier League side for £4 million,subject to a medical and work permit. As expected, he impressed during Manchester United's pre-season tour of the Far East, as well as in the first game of the season against Everton with his tireless, pacey roaming of the pitch and pressuring of opponents, such that Ferguson picked him over Ryan Giggs and the popular Cristiano Ronaldo against Aston Villa on 20 August the following week. His lack of composure in front of goal is considered his main weakness.
His first goal for Manchester United came on December 20 2005, during a 3-1 win over Birmingham in the League Cup Quarter Final. His first goal in the Premier League appeared to have been against Fulham on 5 February 2006, in Manchester United's 4-2 victory at Old Trafford. However the Premier League's Dubious Goals Panel later ruled that this was an "own-goal" due to a deflection off a Fulham defender. Park's first official league goal came against Arsenal on April 9, in Manchester United's 2-0 victory at Old Trafford.
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