SOUTH KOREA: KOREAN SOCCER FANS GET READY FOR SUPPORT THEIR TEAM FOR SECOND ROUND WORLD CUP MATCH AGAINST TURKEY

Record ID: 640690

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: KOREAN SOCCER FANS GET READY FOR SUPPORT THEIR TEAM FOR SECOND ROUND WORLD CUP MATCH AGAINST TURKEY
  • Date: 16th June 2002
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (JUNE 18, 2002) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN SUPPORTERS GATHERING IN FRONT OF GIANT TELEVISION VARIOUS OF FANS CHEERING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN FANS SAYING: "I believe South Korean soccer team will go to the final 8! Go South Korea!" VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SELLING WATER AND BALLOONS VARIOUS OF FANS TAKING REST VARIOUS OF SUPPORTERS EATING MORE OF FANS CHEERING DAEJON, SOUTH KOREA (JUNE 16, 2002) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN SUPPORTERS SETTING UP TENTS IN FRONT OF DAEJON WORLD CUP STADIUM EVEN THOUGH BEING AWARE OF TICKETS ALL SOLD OUT (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN FAN SAYING: "It's been three nights and four days since I camped here. I arrived here just five minutes after South Korea won over Portugal." MORE OF SUPPORTERS Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 1st July 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SEOUL AND DAEJON, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAB6KFZL78X8AXNV6ZLLZ4N65RK
  • Story Text: Millions of South Koreans geared up for their team's second-round World Cup match against Italy on Tuesday (June 18), mixing nervous anticipation and confident expectation to produce a potent cocktail long before kick-off.
    From early morning, red-clad supporters gathered in central Seoul to stake their spot in front of giant television screens.
    Some were already banging drums before most workers have ordinarily had their first cup of coffee. By lunchtime, several hundred 'Red Devils' fans were in place, chanting and listening to booming music at the main Kwanghwamoon intersection in Seoul.
    Police estimate up to four million of South Korea's 48 million people will be on the streets across the country when the match kicks off at 8:30 p.m. (1130 GMT) in the city of Taejon.
    That would be triple the number that turned out for South Korea's 1-0 group D clincher against Portugal, a victory that sparked an unprecedented outpouring of joy and partying from a people not known for hiding their emotions.
    "Open the door to Rome", a banner headline in the Chosun Ilbo daily newspaper declared, saying South Korea would have to split open a defence likely to be marshalled by Paolo Maldini and Christian Panucci in the absence of suspended Fabio Cannavaro.
    South Koreans are still confident of success against Italy, ranked sixth in the world compared with South Korea's modest position of 40th by FIFA, the sport's global governing body.
    South Koreans seemed prepared to shell out not just for red T-shirts but also on betting -- 57.5 percent of gamblers backed the team to beat Italy, said a football lottery operator.
    South Korea finished top of group D after beating Portugal 1-0 and Poland 2-0 and drawing 1-1 with the United States.
    South Korean President Kim Dae-jung will watch the match on television at the presidential Blue House compound with his cabinet and secretaries. Prime Minister Lee Han-dong will attend instead, spokeswoman Park Sun-sook said in a statement.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register