With Qatar 2022 just around the corner, HITC Football takes a look back at South Korea’s best World Cup finish. The Taegeuk Warriors went all the way to the semi-finals in 2002.
But while South Korea reached the final four on home soil, their tournament was marred by controversy. Fifa had awarded the Asian nation the right to co-host the 17th edition of the tournament with Japan. It was the also first edition to take place across multiple countries.
Additionally, it was the first World Cup held in Asia and will remain the only edition held in multiple countries until 2026. The United States of America, Mexico and Canada will share the right to host the first expanded 48-team World Cup, with the limit increasing from 32.
How many times have South Korea qualified for the Fifa World Cup?
South Korea will head to Qatar this November and December for the 2022 World Cup after qualifying for an 11th tournament. The Taegeuk Warriors first secured their place at a Fifa competition in 1954, but they did not feature again until the 1986 edition held in Mexico.
The 1954 tournament in Switzerland was also the first World Cup that South Korea tried to qualify for. They did not contest the qualifying stages of the 1950 edition in Brazil after the Korea Football Association became a member of Fifa in 1948. The KFA was formed in 1933.
Mexico 1986 ended South Korea’s 34-year wait to return to the World Cup after failing to qualify in 1962 and from 1970 to 1982. The Taegeuk Warriors have since featured at each Fifa tournament from 1986, but they did not advance beyond the group stage until 2002.
What is South Korea’s best finish at the Fifa World Cup so far?
South Korea secured their best finish at the Fifa World Cup so far in 2002 whilst they joint-hosted the tournament with Japan. The Taegeuk Warriors had failed to progress out of the group stage during each competition between 1986 and 1998 without sealing a single win.
The Asian nation has since exited the competition in the group stages in 2006, 2014 and in 2018. They made the Round of 16 in 2010 at the first World Cup held in an African country. But South Korea would not win their only knockout stage tie in South Africa with Uruguay.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-Min will hope he can help South Korea repeat or better their 2002 World Cup performance at Qatar 2022. The Taegeuk Warriors were not blessed with household names like the 30-year-old when they co-hosted the competition.
Fifa has drawn South Korea in Group H alongside Portugal, Ghana and Uruguay for Qatar 2022. They will play their first game of the tournament on November 24 against Uruguay. They then face Ghana on November 28 before Cristiano Ronaldo’s squad on December 2.
The Taegeuk Warriors topped Group D from America at the 2002 edition
Despite their lack of megastar players, South Korea claimed their first-ever win at a World Cup in their opening match at the 2002 edition. Hwang Sun-Hong and Yoo Sang-Chul dealt the damage to Poland at the Asiad Main Stadium in Busan to secure a 2-0 win in Group D.
The United States would deny the Taegeuk Warriors back-to-back wins as the USMNT and South Korea drew at the Daegu World Cup Stadium. Clint Mathis broke the deadlock on 24 minutes but the USA could not hold on as Ahn Jung-Hwan struck a 78th-minute equaliser.
Top spot in Group D was then up for grabs as the USA met Poland and South Korea played Portugal. Yet while the Taegeuk Warriors finished the opening round with a 1-0 win at the Incheon Munhak Stadium, the USA fell to a 3-1 defeat at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium.
Italy could not avoid a sudden-death extra-time exit to South Korea
Topping Group D rewarded South Korea with a Round of 16 meeting with Italy in Daejeon. The Azzurri were only able to finish second to Mexico in Group G after claiming a win and a draw across their three games. El Tri had already sealed two wins before drawing with Italy.
Events took a turn for the better for Italy early on against South Korea, though. Christian Vieri broke the deadlock after just 18 minutes and the Taegeuk Warriors seemed unlikely to find a response. Yet up-stepped Seol Ki-Hyeon in the 88th minute with their equaliser.
Jung-Hwan was then on hand to break the Azzurri’s spirits in sudden-death extra-time as the midfielder lashed home to avoid penalties with three minutes to spare. The goal put South Korea through to meet Spain in the quarter-finals and sent Italy home on the spot.
Joaquin would prove to be South Korea’s quarter-final hero in Gwangju
Another laboursome tie followed for South Korea as they met Spain at the Gwangju World Cup Stadium. Neither side could find a breakthrough goal during regular or extra time and needed penalties to determine the victor. And it took until the Taegeuk Warriors’ fifth kick.
Sun-Hong stepped up first and lashed his strike under Iker Casillas before Park Ji-Sung, Ki-Hyeon and Jung-Hwan followed suit. Fernando Hierro, Ruben Baraja and Xavi Hernandez would all score replies to Sun-Hong, Park and Ki-Hyeon’s attempts but Joaquin could not.
Joaquin tried to be clever by slowing his run to try and deceive Woon-Jae Lee. But the 131-cap goalkeeper was patient and made a comfortable save to his left-hand side. It left Hong Myung-Bo a chance to win it and he made no mistake with a dream hit into the top corner.
Germany and Turkey ended South Korea’s dream finish at the 2002 World Cup
Germany would stand between South Korea and their dream finish of reaching the 2002 World Cup final. But the semi-final at the Seoul World Cup Stadium was where that dream ultimately died. Michael Ballack broke the Taegeuk Warriors’ spirits with the only effort.
Die Mannschaft had to wait until the 75th minute before Ballack would break the deadlock and book their place in the final. Brazil would then join Germany by overcoming Turkey for a spot at the International Stadium Yokohama, where the Selecao later ran out 2-0 victors.
Turkey would also heap further misery onto South Korea’s World Cup by winning the third-place play-off in Daegu. Hakan Sukur scored the Crescent-Stars’ opening effort inside the first minute before an Ilhan Mansiz brace would prove too much for the Taegeuk Warriors.
Lee Eul-Yong did draw South Korea level with Turkey after nine minutes, but the co-hosts would not find another goal until the 93rd minute. Song Chong-Gug hit home in stoppage time for Guus Hiddink’s side, yet it proved to be too little too late after falling to 3-1 down.
Why was South Korea’s run at the 2002 World Cup controversial?
While South Korea will remember their best finish at a World Cup yet fondly after reaching the semi-finals, their path at the 2002 tournament was marred by controversy. A report by Vice claims the fairness of the Round of 16 clash with Italy came into question after the tie.
The Azzurri had struggled to find the answers they needed to put the game to bed despite their raft of talents with Vieri, Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero in the attack. Boss Giovanni Trapattoni also had Paolo Maldini as his captain and Gianluigi Buffon in his goal.
Yet Totti saw red in the 103rd minute after Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno reached for a second yellow card. In contrast, the Azzurri’s supporters continually fumed at what they believed to be robust challenges by the South Koreans that Moreno regularly overlooked.
Moreno showed Totti a second yellow card after deeming the Roma legend to have dived despite contact with Chong-Gug. Damiano Tommasi also saw a goal get questionably ruled out for an offside call. Kim Tae-Young appeared to get away with elbowing Del Piero, too.
Controversy surrounded South Korea again in the quarter-finals vs Spain
Controversy again arose in the quarter-finals after South Korea dumped Spain out of the 2002 World Cup. Paul Hayward wrote in The Telegraph at the time: “Warning: do not cheer for South Korea. They have no right to be in a World Cup semi-final.
“Spain should be playing Germany in Seoul. The records say that the Koreans knocked out Spain in a penalty shoot-out in Gwangju on Saturday. The records are a lie and this tournament has descended into farce.”
Egyptian referee Gamal Al-Ghandour was at the centre of the problems after he ruled out two seemingly fine Spain goals. Spain star Ivan Helguera described the game as a ‘robbery’ after Al-Ghandour struck off an own goal by Tae-Young and a goal by Fernando Morientes.
The ball hit Tae-Young on the back of the head without any fouls, holding or offside players in the area. While Morientes’ effort was not allowed to count after Michael Ragoonath, a linesman from Trinidad, deemed the ball to have gone out of play before Joaquin’s delivery.
Fifa had favoured appointing referees from minor footballing nations during the 2002 World Cup. But the governing body appointed two Europeans, Urs Meier and Kim Milton Nielsen, for the two semi-final ties, with Meier overseeing Germany’s 1-0 victory over South Korea.
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