Park, 28, said he feels 100 percent healthy, but since he only began training in earnest two months ago, he's still working himself into peak form. Park added that the national team trials will represent "an important step" toward the Asian Games.

"Since I got a late start, I should work that much harder for the Asian Games," he told reporters at Incheon International Airport. "I am not getting any younger, and I've been trying hard to improve my conditioning and stamina. I'd like to prove that I am still a competitive swimmer this year."

Park remains the only South Korean to have won an Olympic swimming medal. He grabbed gold in the 400m freestyle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he also picked up silver in the 200m free.

At London 2012, Park won silver medals in both the 200m and 400m freestyle.

At the Asian Games, Park has won six gold, three silver and five bronze medals. At the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, Park won one silver and five bronze medals but was later stripped of all of them after failing a doping test.

Park grabbed those medals while racing at an arena bearing his own name. During that competition, Park admitted to letting the weight of expectations affect his performance. Nearly four years later, Park said he's eager for a shot at personal redemption.

"This will be my fourth Asian Games, and since I will be competing overseas, I think I will feel more at ease," he said.

"I'd love to post good times. And if I can do that, I believe medals will follow." (Yonhap)