Football in South Korea
Encyclopedia
The sport
of football
in the country of South Korea
is run by the Korea Football Association
. The association administers the national football team as well as the K-League
.
, one of Three Kingdoms of Korea
, had a ball game called 'chuk-guk' (Hangul
: 축국, Hanja
: 蹴鞠) very similar in form to contemporary football. However, Koreans first saw the present version of football in 1882 when British crew members played a game while their vessel, named Flying Fish, was visiting the Port of Jemulpo.
The first All Korea Football Tournament named All Joseon Football Championship
was held in 1921. Prior to first championship, Joseon Sports Association
was created in 1920. In 1928, Joseon Referee Association was created. Before the creation of the Joseon Football Association
in 1933, two organizations hosted the competitions. The creation of Joseon Football Association led to the establishment of several prominent club sides on the peninsula as Korean football began to enter a different form. The All Joseon Football Championship, which had until 1932 been a tournament almost exclusively between academic institutions, included a 'professional' class from 1933 which, along with the immensely popular Kyungsung (now Seoul)-Pyongyang inter-city football series, raised interest levels in the sport greatly.
was reinstated in 1948, following the establishment of the Republic of Korea. The KFA became a member of FIFA
, the international football governing body, in 1948. The same year, the South Korea national football team made its international debut at the Olympic Games
in London
. The KFA joined the Asian Football Confederation
(AFC) in 1954.
as the second Asian team to ever enter the World Cup after the . South Korea played games against and , losing 9–0 and 7–0 respectively.
first round with and . They qualified first round as group winner, in second round they met . They beat Indonesia and Japan in final round, they gained one of two spots of Asia.
In finals, South Korea was allocated group A with , and . Their first match was against Argentina, Argentina beat South Korea 3–1, with Diego Maradona
playing a major part. Park Chang-Sun
scored the first goal in World Cup finals. South Korea and Bulgaria drew 1–1 in a downpour. Italy narrowly defeating South Korea 3–2.
tournament, along with Japan
. Led by Dutch
coach Guus Hiddink
, and assistant coach Pim Verbeek, South Korean team achieved their first ever victory in the first stage (2–0, against Poland
), and after a 1–1 draw with the USA
, and a further 1–0 victory against heavily-favored Portugal
, the South Korean team qualified for the second round.
The USA
's shock 3-2 win over Portugal
, together with a draw against South Korea
was enough to send them through, even though they lost 1-3 against Poland. Portugal were eliminated with one win and two losses, including one against South Korea. Poland
were also eliminated, despite beating the USA in their final game.
Their second round opponents were Italy
, who were defeated 2–1 after extra time. The South Korea public then began to dream of a semi-final berth, which was attained on defeating Spain
on penalties, thereby surpassing the record of their North Korean counterparts 36 years before.
The South Korean team's run was halted by lost 1-0 to Germany
in the semi-finals, and lost 3–2 to Turkey
in the third place playoff.
, South Korea achieved their first World Cup victory outside Asia by beating Togo
2–1. They then drew 1–1 against eventual finalists France
, but lost 2–0 to Switzerland
, which knocked them out of the tournament.
with 16 points – 7 wins and 7 draws in total – making them the only team unbeaten throughout the whole campaign. They then qualified for the knockout stages of the 2010 World Cup
Group B
with 4 points, winning 2–0 against Greece, losing 4–1 to Argentina and drawing 2–2 with Nigeria. At the knockout stage they met Uruguay, which ended in a 2-1 loss for South Korea, eliminating them from the tournament.
Super Cup
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
of football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
in the country of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
is run by the Korea Football Association
Korea Football Association
The Korea Football Association is the governing body of football in Korea. The first governing body of Korean football was the Joseon Football Association , founded on 19 September 1933....
. The association administers the national football team as well as the K-League
K-League
The Korea Professional Football League is South Korea's only fully professional association football league. At the top of the South Korean football league system, it is the country's highest and most prestigious level of football competition currently contested by 16 clubs.-Establishment:The...
.
beginning
In ancient times, SillaSilla
Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...
, one of Three Kingdoms of Korea
Three Kingdoms of Korea
The Three Kingdoms of Korea refer to the ancient Korean kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla, which dominated the Korean peninsula and parts of Manchuria for much of the 1st millennium...
, had a ball game called 'chuk-guk' (Hangul
Hangul
Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
: 축국, Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 蹴鞠) very similar in form to contemporary football. However, Koreans first saw the present version of football in 1882 when British crew members played a game while their vessel, named Flying Fish, was visiting the Port of Jemulpo.
The first All Korea Football Tournament named All Joseon Football Championship
All Joseon Football Championship
The All Joseon Football Tournament was a competition in Korea under Japanese rule for young, youth, student and adult amateur players from 1921.In 1940, this competition was made defunct by the Japanese government.-References:* at ROK football...
was held in 1921. Prior to first championship, Joseon Sports Association
Korean Olympic Committee
The Korean Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee in South Korea for the Olympic Games movement. It is a non-profit organization that selects players and teams to represent the nation, and raises funds to send them to Olympic events organized by the International Olympic Committee...
was created in 1920. In 1928, Joseon Referee Association was created. Before the creation of the Joseon Football Association
Korea Football Association
The Korea Football Association is the governing body of football in Korea. The first governing body of Korean football was the Joseon Football Association , founded on 19 September 1933....
in 1933, two organizations hosted the competitions. The creation of Joseon Football Association led to the establishment of several prominent club sides on the peninsula as Korean football began to enter a different form. The All Joseon Football Championship, which had until 1932 been a tournament almost exclusively between academic institutions, included a 'professional' class from 1933 which, along with the immensely popular Kyungsung (now Seoul)-Pyongyang inter-city football series, raised interest levels in the sport greatly.
After independence
The Korea Football AssociationKorea Football Association
The Korea Football Association is the governing body of football in Korea. The first governing body of Korean football was the Joseon Football Association , founded on 19 September 1933....
was reinstated in 1948, following the establishment of the Republic of Korea. The KFA became a member of FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
, the international football governing body, in 1948. The same year, the South Korea national football team made its international debut at the Olympic Games
Football at the 1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Olympic Games title was won by Sweden, managed by Englishman George Raynor.-Summary:Sweden, whose Football Association forbade professionalism within domestic football, ran out as winners and only used 12 players throughout the entire tournament but there were exceptional performances put...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The KFA joined the Asian Football Confederation
Asian Football Confederation
The Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of association football in Asia. It has 46 member countries, mostly located on the Asian continent. However, due to the disputed boundary of Europe and Asia, nations such as Russia and Turkey which are located mostly in geographic Asia are...
(AFC) in 1954.
FIFA World Cup
The South Korea national football team has qualified eight FIFA World Cup finals and reached semifinal in 2002 FIFA World Cup. South Korea co-hosted the World Cups in 2002 with Japan.1954 Switzerland
The first World cup finals, the 1954 FIFA World Cup1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
as the second Asian team to ever enter the World Cup after the . South Korea played games against and , losing 9–0 and 7–0 respectively.
1986 Mexico
South Korea started qualification1986 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the Asian zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification....
first round with and . They qualified first round as group winner, in second round they met . They beat Indonesia and Japan in final round, they gained one of two spots of Asia.
In finals, South Korea was allocated group A with , and . Their first match was against Argentina, Argentina beat South Korea 3–1, with Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
playing a major part. Park Chang-Sun
Park Chang-Sun
Park Chang-Sun is a South Korean former international footballer who played professionally as a striker for Hallelujah FC, Daewoo Royals and Yukong Elephants. He represented South Korea at the 1986 FIFA World Cup....
scored the first goal in World Cup finals. South Korea and Bulgaria drew 1–1 in a downpour. Italy narrowly defeating South Korea 3–2.
1990 Italy
South Korea has advanced to the finals so easily into first round and final round (9 wins and 2 draws in total). In finals, allocated group E with , and , they have dropped out finals as lose all games.2002 Korea/Japan
South Korea was one of the host nations for the 2002 FIFA World Cup2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
tournament, along with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Led by Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
coach Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
, and assistant coach Pim Verbeek, South Korean team achieved their first ever victory in the first stage (2–0, against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
), and after a 1–1 draw with the USA
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
, and a further 1–0 victory against heavily-favored Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, the South Korean team qualified for the second round.
The USA
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
's shock 3-2 win over Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, together with a draw against South Korea
Korea Republic national football team
The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,...
was enough to send them through, even though they lost 1-3 against Poland. Portugal were eliminated with one win and two losses, including one against South Korea. Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
were also eliminated, despite beating the USA in their final game.
Their second round opponents were Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, who were defeated 2–1 after extra time. The South Korea public then began to dream of a semi-final berth, which was attained on defeating Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
on penalties, thereby surpassing the record of their North Korean counterparts 36 years before.
The South Korean team's run was halted by lost 1-0 to Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in the semi-finals, and lost 3–2 to Turkey
Turkey national football team
The Turkey national football team represents Turkey in association football and is controlled by the Turkish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Turkey. They are affiliated with UEFA...
in the third place playoff.
2006 Germany
During the 2006 World Cup2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, South Korea achieved their first World Cup victory outside Asia by beating Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
2–1. They then drew 1–1 against eventual finalists France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
, but lost 2–0 to Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, which knocked them out of the tournament.
2010 South Africa
South Korea won the 2010 World Cup AFC qualification2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
The Asian Football Confederation was allocated four assured qualifying berths for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and one place in a play-off. 43 teams were in the running for these spots; Laos, Brunei and the Philippines did not attempt to qualify...
with 16 points – 7 wins and 7 draws in total – making them the only team unbeaten throughout the whole campaign. They then qualified for the knockout stages of the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
Group B
2010 FIFA World Cup Group B
Group B of the 2010 FIFA World Cup began on 12 June and ended on 22 June 2010. The group consisted of Argentina, Nigeria, Korea Republic and Greece....
with 4 points, winning 2–0 against Greece, losing 4–1 to Argentina and drawing 2–2 with Nigeria. At the knockout stage they met Uruguay, which ended in a 2-1 loss for South Korea, eliminating them from the tournament.
Asian club competitions
- Total 12 Champions in 22 finals
- 9 Champions League wins in 14 finals
- 0 Cup Winners' Cup wins in 3 finals
- 3 Super Cup wins in 5 finals
Asian Champions
Champions League- 1985–86 – Daewoo Royals
- 1995–96 – Cheonan Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma is a South Korean professional football club, based in Seongnam, South Korea, that plays in the K-League...
- 1996–97 – Pohang SteelersPohang SteelersPohang Steelers are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do. They were originally called POSCO, after the Pohang Iron and Steel Company that owned it...
- 1997–98 – Pohang SteelersPohang SteelersPohang Steelers are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do. They were originally called POSCO, after the Pohang Iron and Steel Company that owned it...
- 2000–01 – Suwon Samsung BluewingsSuwon Samsung BluewingsSuwon Samsung Bluewings is a South Korean football club based in the city of Suwon, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. Founded in December 1995, they have become one of Asian football's most famous clubs with a host of domestic and continental honours...
- 2001–02 – Suwon Samsung BluewingsSuwon Samsung BluewingsSuwon Samsung Bluewings is a South Korean football club based in the city of Suwon, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. Founded in December 1995, they have become one of Asian football's most famous clubs with a host of domestic and continental honours...
- 2006 – Jeonbuk Hyundai MotorsJeonbuk Hyundai MotorsJeonbuk Hyundai Motors are a professional football club based in Jeonju, Jeonbuk, South Korea. They won their first K-League title in 2009. Prior to this, the club won the AFC Champions League title in 2006, becoming the first club from East Asia to win the tournament since the AFC Champions...
- 2009 – Pohang SteelersPohang SteelersPohang Steelers are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do. They were originally called POSCO, after the Pohang Iron and Steel Company that owned it...
- 2010 – Seongnam Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma is a South Korean professional football club, based in Seongnam, South Korea, that plays in the K-League...
Super Cup
- 1996 – Cheonan Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa ChunmaSeongnam Ilhwa Chunma is a South Korean professional football club, based in Seongnam, South Korea, that plays in the K-League...
- 2001 – Suwon Samsung BluewingsSuwon Samsung BluewingsSuwon Samsung Bluewings is a South Korean football club based in the city of Suwon, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. Founded in December 1995, they have become one of Asian football's most famous clubs with a host of domestic and continental honours...
- 2002 – Suwon Samsung BluewingsSuwon Samsung BluewingsSuwon Samsung Bluewings is a South Korean football club based in the city of Suwon, South Korea, that plays in the K-League. Founded in December 1995, they have become one of Asian football's most famous clubs with a host of domestic and continental honours...