The 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan ended its one-month epic run on June 30, 2002. The first FIFA World Cup of the 21st century consisted of a total of 64 matches and was safely completed without any hooliganism or terrorist acts.
The national teams of Korea and Japan both cleared the first round of competition, and played admirably, the Japanese team advancing to the final 16, and the Korean team astounding the world by advancing through to the semi-finals. These successes were ones that until this tournament had never been achieved by an Asian country in the World Cup.
The amazing performance of the Korean team improved Korea's national image dramatically, etching the brand “Korea” among people around the world.
The soccer event provided a good opportunity to shed Korea's negative images, associated with war, demonstrations and authoritarianism, as well as allowing the country to join the ranks of advanced countries.
The performance of the indefatigable Korean players was more than enough to impress the global audience, and the throngs of “Red Devils” coming out across the country to support their team illustrated the potent cohesiveness of the Korean people as a whole.
There were multiple sources of Korea's dynamic performance on and off the soccer field. Having struggled through the 1997 financial crisis, it was an uplifting accomplishment that still symbolizes the nation's resiliency. The Government as well as the private sector have benefited from this hard-earned momentum.
Foreign media praised Korea as the biggest winner of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Korean fans impressed onlookers with their enthusiastic and orderly “street cheering.” Combined, nearly 22 million took to the streets nationwide to cheer for the Korean national soccer team.
The numbers swelled to 4.2 million people for the final-16 match against Italy, 5 million for the quarterfinal against Spain and 6.5 million for the semifinal against Germany. Even for the third-place match against Turkey on June 29, 2.17 million people showed up on the streets. In Seoul, over 10 million people gathered in the streets during the seven games, which accounts for 88 percent of the capital's population.
Since 1971, the Republic of Korea has annually sponsored an international soccer tournament, originally known as the President's Cup Football. The tournament, which has since been renamed the Korea Cup, has greatly contributed to the improvement of soccer skills in Asia and has promoted understanding and friendship among the participants. The tournament has drawn teams from Asia, Europe, Latin America and Africa. In 1983, Korea became the first country in Asia to field a professional soccer league. In 1994, the professional league changed its name to the K-League. Today, 14 teams compete in this league, which allowed foreign players' participation beginning in the 1996 season.
