With a garlanded career at Manchester United, reputation for selfless play and endearing back-story as the flat-footed boy who made it big, Park Ji-Sung is the standard-bearer of South Korean football.
While he was not the first Korean to play abroad, Park's success with the Premier League giants, following his 2005 transfer from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven, alerted bargain-hunting European clubs to a deep, new talent pool.
But the exodus of stars that followed divides opinion among Koreans who are proud to see their heroes perform abroad, yet concerned that the perennial harvest of stars is pushing the domestic K-League into decline.
"It's important that players go abroad and experience a higher level of football," former Middlesbrough striker Lee Dong-Gook, now of K-Leaguers Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, told AFP.
"We learn to train at a better level and come back more complete players -- that helps the national team and inspires young footballers."
Moreover the K-League benefits as younger players replace established stars bound for overseas, Lee added, while a cap on foreign imports clears the decks for promising youngsters to impress.
But not everyone is convinced.
"Every time a top player goes, our league is hurt," says Chun Sung-Ho, a football expert for Korea's BestEleven magazine.
"They become big stars abroad but the K-League is left behind. Now younger players want to leave as soon as they can and the stadiums are not full because the fans do not want to go when the best are not playing."
Korean players first caught the eye with a stirring run to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup, jointly hosted with Japan, in which they impressed under Dutch coach Guus Hiddink with their technique, pace and team philosophy.
Since that success FC Korea, as the national team is dubbed, has drawn on the fanatical support of patriotic Koreans who tune in for internationals, but shy away from the hum-drum of domestic football.
Hiddink took Park -- who was frequently told at junior level his flat feet would hinder his progress -- to PSV soon after the tournament, where his technique and relentless running caught the eye of United.
Lee Young-Pyo followed Park's trail from Holland to the Premier League, joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2005 as the mould for Korean footballing exports was set.
Currently Lee Chung-Yong (Bolton), Ji Dong-Won (Sunderland) and Arsenal new boy -- and Korea captain -- Park Chu-Young play in the English top tier.
Scotland's Celtic have highly rated defender Cha Du-Ri and midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng, while Koreans are also represented in the German, French and Dutch leagues.
Dozens more ply their trade across Asia with Japan's J-League in particular providing opportunities missing at home.
K-League spokesman Park Yong-Chul admitted the loss of star players has damaged the division, a dent made worse by a major match-fixing scandal that has seen dozens of former and current players charged or banned for life.
"It's true our domestic league has been weakened by the departure of many good players," Park said. "The role of star players is very important to drawing fans into our league."
According to Seoul-based journalist Rob McGovern, unless the league staunches the flow of talent it risks losing credibilty and slipping into obscurity.
"It's inevitable players want to leave given the money being offered," he said.
"Even the best Italian, Spanish, German and Portuguese players make the move abroad. But the impact on the K-League is there to see. The top sides now would probably struggle in the third tier of English football."
But an end to the westward procession is, at least for now, unlikely. The reasons to leave are legion -- better pay and facilities, and a higher professional profile -- and now, the K-League's image is tainted.
Compulsory military service of around two years also curtails playing careers and encourages players to be practical about their short-lived earning potential as a professional footballer.
Arsenal's Park, who swapped Monaco for the top London club, has said he will enlist in 2013, when he should be at the peak of his game -- although an Olympic medal in 2012 will win him exemption.
European clubs are also desperate to build their Asian fanbases and recruiting relatively cheap and highly marketable players from countries such as Korea and Japan remains smart business.
To the 32-year-old Lee, who spent an unremarkable period on Teesside before returning to Korea, the cycle of players moving overseas widens the reach of Korean football.
And the recent success of Korean teams in regional tournaments points to a league in decent health, at least in the top half of the table.
K-League regular season winners Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors -- Lee's current team -- lit up this year's AFC Champions League before stumbling at home in the final last Saturday.
Had they won, they would have made it three Asian crowns in a row for Korean clubs.
"The K-League doesn't suffer when we go," Lee said. "It is still popular and younger players come through to take the place of the players who leave. That is certainly a good thing."
Source: AFP
