SOUTH KOREA: SOUTH KOREAN FANS TAKE TO THE STREETS AHEAD OF THEIR OPENING WORLD CUP MATCH AGAINST POLAND

Record ID: 640587

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: SOUTH KOREAN FANS TAKE TO THE STREETS AHEAD OF THEIR OPENING WORLD CUP MATCH AGAINST POLAND
  • Date: 4th June 2002
  • Summary: NEWSPAPERS WITH PICTURES OF SOUTH KOREAN PLAYERS Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 19th June 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SEOUL AND PUSAN (BUSAN), SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA87RU3OWSRRF5N95MJHVML83A5
  • Story Text: With hours still to go before South Korea kick off their World Cup challenge against Poland tens of thousands of fans have already taken to the streets decked out in the bright red colours of the national team.
    In the match city Pusan (Busan) (pronounced as POO SAHN or BOOSAHN) thousands queued overnight on Tueday (June4) for a chance to buy one of 3,000 additional tickets which were put on sale at the last minute.
    The majority went away with nothing but the mood on the streets South Korea's second city and largest port, was upbeat and expectant.
    Warm-up music pulsated from speakers on a central intersection in Seoul where fans gathered to watch the match on large screens and many people, including usually suited civil servants, donned red South Korea soccer shirts.
    The team have yet to win a match at the World Cup finals despite playing in five tournaments.
    But South Korea have been in increasingly good form in recent friendlies, beating Scotland 4-1, drawing 1-1 with England and narrowly losing 3-2 to world champions France.
    South Korean newspapers joined the excitement with almost apocalyptic headlines about the Group D match. South Korea also play the United States and Portugal in the showcase tournament.
    Japan, restrained neighbours, traditional rivals and World Cup co-hosts, play their opening match on Tuesday against Belgium -- addded incentive for the South Koreans to do well.
    "The day of judgment," said a headline in Joongang Ilbo, one of South Korea's leading newspapers.
    "Warriors, go for the last 16, destroy Poland!" read another banner headline from the daily Donga Ilbo.
    South Korea, like Japan, has spent many millions of dollars constructing new stadiums for the month-long finals.
    The South Korean team have been rebuilt by Dutchman Hiddink, initially with mixed results.
    The English-language newspaper the Korea Times headlined its front-page story "The Moment of Truth".
    "When the whistle sounds at 8:30 this evening in Pusan, all the highs and lows of the past year and a half are consigned to history," it said.
    "This is the real thing, and if South Korean football is to gain the respect of the world, it must start tonight."
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