South Korea in South African History

South Korea and South Africa may share a common title, but the two countries are entirely different. South Africa has had a long history of racial discrimination and inequality. This differs wholly from South Korea which is one of the most ethnically homogeneous groups in Asia. It will be interesting playing in a country with such a unique, and horrific, history.

Discrimination in South Africa crested in the late 20th century. The cornerstone of South Africa policy was a set of legal systems known as apartheid. The system physically separates races into designated areas. Although the law was repealed in the 1990s, its impact is still felt today. In the turn of the 20th century, colonial rule in British owned South Africa was being handed to the local black population. The Afrikaners, the descendants from white colonists from Holland, gained power in 1948 and instituted apartheid laws to perpetuate white dominance in the country.

In the 1970s and 1980s, countries began to be more critical about racial discrimination. As a result, relations with foreign countries began to deteriorate. International companies like Ford and General Motors began to close down factories operating in South Africa, and athletes refused to play, a reminder of the difference now. While countries turned away, South Korea extended a warm hand to South Africa, taking advantage of the situation to benefit both countries. Trade links between the two countries have grown over the years, and tourism to South Africa from South Korea has reached new highs. South Korean companies like LG, Hyundai, and Samsung have pledged full support in the upcoming FIFA 2010 world cup.
Lee Dong-Gook

Park Ji-Sung Interview

I found a great article on the FIFA website that you Warrior fans might be interested. The link is included by I added an excerpt.

http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/newsid=1222292/indexe.html#Park+Ji+Sung+Interviw

Park Ji-Sung spoke out to our reporters today when asked about the problems that FIFA's location in South Africa might pose. With the teams first match in less than two weeks away, it's no surprise that the captain of the Warriors had a positive, game ready outlook. He confidently responded to our reporter's questions.

Q) Do you think South Korea's distant eight thousand mile location from Seoul might affect your playing?

"I never once considered South Africa was any sort of barrier that would personally hinder me and my team. Our team is as strong as any other team in the World Cup finals, because each player has their own confidence and fighting spirit. Just as we are taking that several hour flight, other teams will have to do the same. But in the end, will know that South Korea is rooting for our backs, no matter how far away."

Q) Where will your team be staying?

"Our base camp will be in the Hunters Rest near Rustenburg. It's only about an hour's drive from Johannesburg where our first match will be held, which is June 12th for any of you Soccer fans (chuckle). Huh Jung-Moo decided on the location because of its pretty large health center. It's seclusion will also help the team get some peaceful rest."

Q) Are you worried about the more geographic and cultural boundaries that South Africa presents?

"We've planned to compensate for the more obvious problems such as language differences- we have at translator. South Africa has completely different customs, the understanding of which is something that takes years. I'm more worried about the physical issues like, we practice at basically sea level, but Johannesburg is thousands of feet higher. A soccer ball will actually travel faster because of the thinner air in that situation, it's also going to be a strain on our lungs. But, sometimes, I guess you can't prepare for everything.

Here we are. Now where do we go?

We've made it to the world cup for the 3rd time this century but do we have it in us to repeat the success we had in 2002? Critics from South Korea as well as the rest of the world hail us, The Korea Republic Nation Football Team, as the best of Asia and a group of pioneers for the sport. However those same critics question our ability to advance through our position in group B. Argentina is a sure favorite to advance and Greece is the former Euro champ, while Nigeria is widely considered one of the best African Teams ever. However I believe that South Korea will triumph over all opposition.

After 2002 our fan base has been growing and growing. If we win the whole cup this year we will return to Korea as heroes and will have brought a new excitement to the sport was never anticipated in Asia. Likewise strong teammates such as Park Chu-Young and Park Ji-Sung will be the leaders of this new brand of Korean hero. However if we fail to advance past the first round I do not expect there to be very much heartbreak. Our fans while loyal are few and a loss while devastating to us as a team will be easily forgotten with time.

I highly anticipate our preformance in South Korea and hope we will be able to advance to at least the semi-finals. I hope to bring a new generation of young South Koreans to the sport and encourage them to follow in our footsteps as athletic ambassadors for all of Korea.

South Korea and Where They Stand

With South Korea qualifying for world finals the past six years, they continue to take pride in their streak. For this season, the team has accomplished multiple wins and ties in the fight towards finals. South Korea was the first team to represent Asia in the fight towards the FIFA cup in 1954. Most recently, they have co-hosted Finals with Japan in 2002. The greatest they have yet achieved is reaching the top four in 2002.

Their two starring players, Park Ji-Sung and Park Chu-Young, have led their team into a strong position in the fight. So far Ji-Sung has had the leading amount of goals for his team with a total of 22. South Korea will be in the second group with North Korea and Saudi Arabia with them leading in a total of 16 points.

South Korea begins their battle against Greece in the finals. Similar to the draw of 1994, South Korea is seen as one of the under dogs in this fight. If South Korea continues their path, we can see them heading towards a possible victory in their near future.

South Korea is a country that isn't afraid to get rubbed in some dirt. The coach has recently cut four of his men from his squad of thirty as we get closer to the finals. The team has finalized their slogan to persue themselves to victory of "승리의 함성, 하나된 한국 " or"The Shouts of Reds, United Republic of Korea."