VietNamNet Bridge – A football game gathering of Korean and international stars to raise fund for charity in Vietnam is the first project of a charity foundation formed by South Korean football star Park Ji-sung.

Park Ji-sung and Patrice Evra.

According to the Chosun Ilbo Daily, a charity game named Asian Dream Cup is scheduled in Vietnam on June 15. This will be the first activity of a charity fund named after Park Ji-sung – JS Foundation, which was introduced to the public early this week.

Many former and current football stars will join the game, including French fullback Patrice Evra, former Japanese star Hidetoshi Nakata, Korean stars Lee Chung-yong, Ki Sung-yueng and Park Ji-sung.

According to MBN Korea, apart from football stars, the JS Foundation planed to invite JYJ, a popular pop ban in Korea, to perform during halftime.

JS Foundation aims to make joy through football. “We want to contribute to improve football in Southeast Asia through projects with national Football Federations in the region,” the foundation’s statement writes.

With the strong support from the Vietnam Football Federation and a large number of fans for Park Ji-sung, Vietnam is chosen as the destination for JS Foundation’s first activity.

Park, as the founder and executive manager of JS Foundation, has successfully called for the contribution of Korean stars to the foundation. Among them are Choo Shin-soo, who is playing for the Cleveland Indians basketball club in the US, Olympic champion, weight-lifter Jan Mi-ran, actor Jung Jun-ho and singer Kim Heung-gook.

Park Ji-Sung, 30, currently plays as a midfielder for Manchester United and until his retirement in 2011, was the captain of the South Korean national team. He is the most decorated footballer in Asian history, as the only South Korean player to have won the UEFA Champions League and the first Asian to have played in a final of the tournament.

Park began his football career in his native South Korea and played for the Myongji University team before moving to Japan to play for Kyoto Purple Sanga. After Park’s national team manager Guus Hiddink moved back to the Netherlands to manage PSV Eindhoven, Park followed him to the Dutch side a year later. After PSV reached the semi-finals of the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League, Park’s talents were recognized by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and he signed Park for a fee of around £4 million in July 2005. Since then, Park has played in three consecutive Premier League-winning Manchester United teams and has also won the UEFA Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Park is able to play anywhere across the midfield and is noted for his exceptional fitness level, discipline, work ethic, positional awareness and movement.

As a member of the South Korean national team, Park won 100 caps and scored 13 goals, and was a member of the team that finished fourth at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. He also represented his nation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup and was captain at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Park scored in all three consecutive tournaments (the first South Korean and only the second Asian player to do so) and is currently Asia’s joint all-time leading goalscorer at the FIFA World Cup finals with three goals, alongside compatriot Ahn Jung-Hwan, and Saudi Arabia’s Sami Al-Jaber. Park retired from international football after the 2011 Asian Cup.

PV