SOUTH KOREA: FOOTBALL: WORLD CUP: CROWDS OF SOUTH KOREAN FANS CELEBRATE IN STREET PARTIES EVEN BEFORE THEIR TEAMS VICTORY OVER SPAIN

Record ID: 640731

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: FOOTBALL: WORLD CUP: CROWDS OF SOUTH KOREAN FANS CELEBRATE IN STREET PARTIES EVEN BEFORE THEIR TEAMS VICTORY OVER SPAIN
  • Date: 22nd June 2002
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (JUNE 22, 2002) (REUTERS) HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF SOUTH KOREAN SUPPORTERS GATHERING IN FRONT OF GIANT TELEVISION VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN FANS CHEERING SOUTH KOREAN FAN, SAYS IN KOREAN "Thanks to the good skills of our players, we have beaten some of the best teams so far and Spain will be no exception, so I think South Korea will go through to the semi-finals." MORE OF CROWDS Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 7th July 2002 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA22NV3RY6WW0GN2EBIJJ64DPTJ
  • Story Text: More than a million South Korean soccer fans, dressed in red and enjoying a high-octane party even before kick-off, packed Seoul on Saturday (June 22) to watch on television as their team beat Spain on penalties and advanced to the World Cup semi-finals.
    South Korean fans packed the country's streets on Saturday (June 22) to watch the most important match in South Korea's history. Police said they expected some 4.5 million -- about 10 percent of the country's 48 million population -- to turn out in Seoul.
    After 120 minutes of play, 90 minutes of normal time and 30 minutes of extra time, the result was still 0-0 and both teams lined up for five penalties each. The South Koreans scored with all five, but Spain's fourth man, Joaquin, saw his shot saved and so conceded the match. South Korea now go on to play Germany in Seoul in the semi-finals on Tuesday (June 25).
    An hour before kick-off, Seoul police said more than a million people had packed roads between Kwanghwamoon and the nearby city hall. Increasingly excited crowds, encouraged by cheerleaders and drummers, chanted and sang as music thundered from huge speakers.
    One of the abiding images of the World Cup, which South Korea and eliminated Japan are co-hosting, has been the vast crowds of high-spirited "Red Devil" fans in Seoul and other cities.
    Police estimated there were 500,000 people out for the South Korea-Poland match, 770,000 for the game against the United States, 2.79 million for the clash with Portugal and
    20 million when South Korea beat Italy 2-1 to reach the final eight.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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