National football head coach Hong Myung-bo on Friday departed for England to watch South Koreans in action, saying he will try to watch and meet everyone in the Korean contingent there.
Hong is scheduled to return on Sept. 23. In August, he flew to Germany to see three South Korean players in the top-tier Bundesliga.
Currently, four South Koreans are with English Premier League sides: Kim Bo-kyung of Cardiff City, Ji Dong-won and Ki Sung-yueng of Sunderland, and Park Chu-young of Arsenal.
Two more are playing in the second-tier Football League Championship: Lee Chung-yong of Bolton Wanderers and Yun Suk-young of Queens Park Rangers (QPR).
Hong has so far coached six matches, recording one win, two losses and three draws. He has been juggling his lineups for each of the matches, hoping to find the combination that he feels will optimize players' skills for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, which will kick off in June.
Hong has stressed that no star player will be guaranteed a roster spot for the World Cup, and he will encourage friendly competitions among players for playing time.
Ki is one player whose stock has dipped in recent months. He has yet to play for Hong.
Ki, who joined Sunderland last month on a season-long loan from another Premier League club, Swansea City, had been a fixture in midfield for South Korea for a few years. But he spent the early part of the new Premier League season on the bench, amid rumors that he'd fallen out of favor with Swansea City's management.
When Hong named Europe-based players for two September friendlies against Haiti and Croatia, he left out Ki on the grounds that he would only select players getting regular action on their respective clubs.
The same logic also applied to Park, a talented forward who has frittered away the better part of the past two years on the Arsenal bench.
The 28-year-old has appeared in only one Premier League match since signing with the London club two years ago. He spent the last season on a loan to a Spanish club Celta Vigo but had mixed results. He has since returned to Arsenal but has yet to play this season.
Park could be the answer to South Korea's scoring woes from the forward position. The country has scored six goals in its six matches under Hong, but none by a front-line striker.
In an informal session with the media, Hong said he isn't just focused on checking out Park and Ki.
"I am planning to meet every Korean player, not just Park Chu-young and Ki Sung-yueng," said Hong, who plans to hold a press conference upon his return on Sept. 23.
Ki is expected to make his Sunderland debut on the weekend at home against Arsenal. In an interview posted on Sunderland's website, Ki said he was looking forward to going up against the club that he faced four times last season.
"There's always pressure on the new boys, but I have to overcome that and show why I'm here," Ki said. "It's not easy to play against the big teams. They are a good side, one of the best in the country, but we are at home and looking to win. It will be a very interesting game."
There is no telling when, or if, Park will ever suit up for Arsenal again. The summer transfer window in European football closed last month, meaning Park will either have to wait for the winter transfer period in January or spend another full season on the bench. He's under contract with Arsenal until next June.
Other than Ki and Park, other England-based players dressed for South Korea against Haiti and Croatia earlier this month.
Kim Bo-kyung is in his first Premier League season. He helped Cardiff City earn promotion from the second division last season.
Ji Dong-won signed with Sunderland in 2011 and played for FC Augsburg in Bundesliga, in the second half of last season on a loan, helping the German club avoid relegation.
Lee Chung-yong joined Bolton Wanderers in 2009 when they were still in the Premier League. They are now in their second season in the lower division. Yun Suk-young signed with QPR last season when the club was in the Premier League, but only made his QPR debut this season, which the team opened in the second division. (Yonhap News)
