|
Park Chan-ho has moved many Korean baseball fans by choosing loyalty to his country over his dreams. In an announcement entitled "The Value of Loyalty" posted to his website (www.chanhopark61.com) on Monday, the 34-year-old baseball player declared his decision to give up a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers to stay with the Korean national team for Olympic preliminary games.
Park said in the announcement that he had been thinking hard about a few options after this season -- to go to Korea or Japan or to retire from the field -- when he was presented with the opportunity to sign with the Dodgers to play for the next spring camp. But when the team learned that Park planned to play for Korea in preliminary Olympic games, the Dodgers, afraid of an injury, told Park he would have to leave the national team and sign the contract immediately.
"After giving long and deep thought to the matter, I concluded that I should respect loyalty," Park wrote. "Both are important to me -- to sign a contract with the Dodgers to pursue my dreams and goals, and to participate in the Olympics for my country. But the thought of leaving the national team bothered me most."
The decision puts Park back to square one in the U.S., leaving him looking for a new contract. His Korean fans meanwhile have praised the decision and expressed their gratitude, saying Park has sacrificed his interests for the country.
Park is the captain of the national team, which is currently training in Okinawa, Japan. Korea will play preliminary games with Japan and Taiwan from Dec. 1 through 3.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
