Four British-based players have been selected in South Korea's preliminary squad for January's Asian Cup.
Celtic duo in squad along with Lee and Park
Four British-based players have been selected in South Korea's preliminary squad for January's Asian Cup.
Celtic duo Ki Sung-yong and Cha Du-ri have been included, along with Manchester United's Park Ji-sung and Lee Chung-yong of Bolton.
All four players missed November's Asian Games because the tournament was not on Fifa-recognised dates but this time the clubs will be powerless to stop them from travelling to Qatar.
National coach Cho Kwang-rae told
Joongang Daily: "Choosing players who can complement or play well alongside overseas-based players is most important.
"The players playing professionally in Europe and the Middle East have pretty much secured their spots on the team."
Strong
Despite the prospect of missing a month's action at Celtic, Du-ri stressed the importance of winning the cup.
"This is something that I really want to win before I retire," he told the
Daily Record.
"Normally the World Cup is really the only tournament that matters for Korean fans but I think this one is just as important for us at the moment.
"Everyone back home says Korean football is the best in Asia but we haven't won the Asian Cup for 50 years, so how can we say we're the best if we haven't proved it?
"I think we have a strong team, but to show that we're the best we need to win this competition."
South Korea's 47-man preliminary squad will be trimmed to a final 23 by 26th December.
