Architect of Seongnam Ilhwa’s Amazing Success

The faith and ideals of Park Gyu-nam, the architect of an impressive achievement on the pitch: 7 domestic championships and 5 international titles

In a report published on 29^th May 2026 in the South Korean daily Segye Ilbo, religion correspondent Jeong Seong-su (정성수) covers the funeral rites held for Park Gyu-nam (박규남), the longtime president of the Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (성남일화 천마) professional football club and a senior member of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. The article presents Park not only as a successful sports administrator but also as a religious leader whose career reflected the movement‘s broader vision of promoting social harmony and international peace through public engagement, particularly in the realm of sport.

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The report centers on the Seonghwa ceremony (성화식 – 聖和式) held on 28^th May at Seoul Asan Medical Center following Park’s death on 25^th May at the age of 89. Within the theological framework of the Family Federation, a Seonghwa ceremony is understood not merely as a funeral but as a sacred transition from earthly life to spiritual life. The movement regards death as a return to God‘s embrace and the beginning of a new existence in the spiritual world. Consequently, the ceremony combined mourning with expressions of gratitude, remembrance, and hope.

Family members, leaders of the religious organization, colleagues from the football community, and other guests gathered to pay tribute to a man whose life spanned decades of religious service and sports management. According to the report, participants reflected on Park’s contributions both to Korean professional football and to the religious community in which he had long played a prominent role.

A central feature of the ceremony was the memorial address delivered by Song Yong-cheon (송용천), president of the Family Federation in Korea. Song portrayed Park’s life as one marked by sustained dedication to public service and faith. He recalled that Park first served as an evangelist and pastor during the early years of the movement before later assuming responsibility for the management of Seongnam Ilhwa. In Song’s account, Park’s twenty-five years with the football club represented an important chapter in what the movement describes as “sports ministry” – the use of athletic activities as a means of fostering positive values and contributing to society.

Song also highlighted Park’s later years of religious devotion, including extensive participation in prayer vigils and spiritual disciplines. He presented the gathering not merely as a farewell but as an opportunity for attendees to renew their own commitment to faith and to continue the work that Park had devoted his life to advancing.

Religious affairs correspondent Jeong’s report reviews Park’s role in Korean football, emphasizing the difficulties he faced as well as the achievements he helped make possible. During his tenure, Seongnam Ilhwa experienced several relocations, playing their home matches in Seoul 1992-1995, then in Cheonan 1996-1999, and lastly in Seongnam from 2000. The club operated under circumstances that were not always favorable. Despite these challenges, Park remained closely involved in the club’s daily affairs, overseeing operations and maintaining a visible presence around the team.

Under his leadership, Seongnam Ilhwa became one of the most successful clubs in Korean football history, winning seven domestic championships – in 1993, 1994, 1995, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2006 – and establishing a reputation as one of Asia’s leading football organizations. The club won five international titles: 1995 Asian Club Championship, 1996 Asian Super Cup, 1996 Afro-Asian Club Championship, 2004 A3 Champions Cup, and 2010 AFC Champions League.

Beyond club management, Park also played a role in shaping the institutional development of professional football in South Korea. As a vice president of the Korea Professional Football League, he participated in efforts to strengthen and stabilize the country’s professional football system during a period of growth and increasing international recognition.

Jeong’s report places particular emphasis on the connection between Park’s football career and the vision of the Family Federation‘s founders, Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han. According to the article, Park’s involvement in football began because he was encouraged and entrusted by the founders to take on responsibility for the club. Within the movement‘s interpretation of his life, his achievements in sport were therefore not viewed as separate from his religious calling but as an extension of it.

The article further explains the theological and philosophical ideas that motivated the movement‘s investment in football and international sporting events. The Family Federation has long promoted the view that sport can serve as a means of building friendship, overcoming barriers between peoples, and encouraging peaceful coexistence. The report notes that this philosophy inspired the creation of the Peace Cup, an international football tournament that brought together prominent clubs from Europe and elsewhere. Teams such as Real Madrid, Juventus, PSV Eindhoven, Tottenham Hotspur, and Olympique Lyonnais participated in the competition, while Seongnam Ilhwa represented South Korea on the international stage.

By highlighting these events, the report portrays football as more than a competitive activity. Instead, it is presented as a vehicle for cultural exchange and a practical expression of ideals concerning peace and human unity. Within this framework, Park is depicted as someone who worked to transform those ideals into tangible projects and institutions.

In November 2013, the club was sold to the city of Seongnam, then with current South Korean president Lee Jae-myung (이재명) as mayor. The name was changed to Seongnam Football Club (Seongnam FC). Since 2022, it plays in K league 2, the second-highest level in the country. Seongnam has about one million inhabitants and is the country’s 10^th largest city. It is located fairly close to Seoul and is part of the Seoul metropolitan subway system.

The article concludes with remarks from a Family Federation representative who described Park as a figure committed to promoting reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula and peace throughout the world through sport. The representative expressed confidence that the values Park championed would continue to influence future generations.

Overall, Jeong Seong-su’s report presents Park Gyu-nam as a multifaceted figure whose life linked religion, public service, and professional football. While acknowledging his achievements as a football executive, the article places equal emphasis on his identity as a man of faith and on the broader vision that guided his work. In doing so, it portrays his death not only as the passing of a respected sports manager but also as the conclusion of a life dedicated to advancing a particular understanding of service, community, and peace through athletic endeavor.

See also Park Gyu-nam: Faith, Football, and Public Service

See also Scholar’s Journey: She Gave Up Academia for Faith

See also: Educational Legacy: Character Before Achievement

See also 20 Years Since Inauguration of Sacred Site

See also Charitable Rice Campaign for Vulnerable Groups

Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: From the commemorative display at the Seonghwa ceremony for Park Gyu-nam in Seoul 28th May 2026. Calligraphic inscriptions received from Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han are displayed before an image of the deceased. Photo: FFWPU

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