DOHA — Park Ji-Sung and Lee Young-Pyo's retirement from international football puts the onus on South Korea's new generation, and both players are confident they have what it takes.
South Korea coach Cho Kwang-Rae said midfielder Park, 29, was calling it quits on Friday after the team beat Uzbekistan 3-2 to secure third place at the Asian Cup and an automatic berth at the 2015 tournament in Australia.
Left-back Lee, 33, had already announced his own decision to step back from international football earlier in the week.
It is a big loss for South Korea, with the two players the squad's bedrock for the last decade, both featuring at three World Cups, starting in 2002 when they were part of the team that made the semi-finals under Guus Hiddink.
It was that performance that launched their careers, with Park moving to PSV Eindhoven from Japan's Kyoto Purple Sanga and then on to Manchester United, where he continues to wow the crowds.
Lee also went to PSV and followed Park to the English Premier League, making 70 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur before moving to Borussia Dortmund and finally securing a one-million-euros-a-year contract with Al-Hilal.
Park, the South Korea captain, plans to hold a press conference in Seoul on Monday but said after the game in Doha against the Uzbeks that he held out a lot of hope for the young Korean team that has impressed at the Asian Cup.
"At the moment the young players are very talented and skilful, their technique is great," he said.
"They just need some experience and I think this tournament has been very important for them in terms of that.
"I think some of the players can go to Europe and gain experience there, then they will be even stronger than now."
Asked what the future held for him, he replied: "My future? I will try to do my best at my club and just do what I can to help them win everything."
Lee, who won 127 caps, said it had been a pleasure to play alongside Park, his country's most iconic sportsman.
"I wanted Park to play for his country a little more but there must be something personal in his mind so we should respect his decision," he said of a player who earned 100 caps.
"He sacrifices himself for the team. The younger generations will remember him sacrificing himself for the team and his love of football."
Lee also sacrificed himself, experiencing highs and lows in his 12 years of international duty, which included 12 World Cup games.
"This is the time to step down from the national team. I wanted to give a chance to the younger generations. The young players are very skilful and very good," he said.
"I want the Korean fans to support the next generation of players like they supported me. If they are in a bad situation, I'd like them to encourage the players to help get them through the situation."
Like Park, he felt the 2002 World Cup was the highlight, proving to be a pivotal moment for Asian football.
"Every single moment in the national team was very important, but personally the 2002 World Cup was a turning point for Korean football," he said.
"Even the players couldn?t believe the achievement of the Korean team, it was our most historic achievement.
"In that tournament we showed the world that Asian football could do something at the World Cup."
While Park plans to prolong his career at Manchester United, Lee will continue with Al-Hilal.
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Park Ji-Sung and Lee Young-Pyo's retirement from international football puts the onus on South Korea's new generatio
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