(Reuters) - Park Chu-young's public apology over his delayed military service seemed to have won over the country's soccer authorities after the Arsenal striker was named in the South Korean squad for the London Olympics.

The 26-year-old recently obtained a 10-year residence permit from Monaco and delayed his mandatory military service which triggered a public backlash. The Korean Football Association left him out of the recent 2014 World Cup qualifiers.

Park, however, said sorry on his return to the country earlier this month and promised to do military service even though he did not elaborate on the time frame.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo said the striker's international exposure will be critical for the team in London.

"Physically, he's much better than I'd expected him to be," Hong was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency. "He brings a lot of international experience and he will play a significant role on this team.

"As a head coach, I'd like for him to do a lot of things, but he's just one of the 18 players we have.

"I am actually worried that he might be trying to do too much for the team. I don't want that to affect his performance."

The former South Korea captain, who played in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, enjoyed three seasons with AS Monaco in France before joining English Premier League side Arsenal in August.

Park, who has been a prolific scorer in national colors, endured a disappointing first season in the Premier League, scoring one goal in six appearances for Arsenal.

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; editing by Alison Wildey)