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Co-hosts at odds South Korea blasts Japan's move to change trademark
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korea flatly rejected on Tuesday Japan's move to place its name ahead of South Korea in the 2002 World Cup finals logo printed on tickets to be sold for Japanese spectators. "I fear that any attempt to alter the order of the countries' names will damage the co-hosting spirit between the two countries and violate the agreement between the two countries and FIFA," said Chung Mong-joon, chief of the Korea Football Association. FIFA is world soccer's governing body. The Japan Soccer Association said Tuesday that no decision had been made. "It's a delicate matter that we're still studying," said Michio Inomata, an association spokeswoman. "When it's decided we will be able to start selling tickets." Japan and South Korea, two historical rivals in Northeast Asia, will co-host international soccer's premier event in 2002. Under the complex terms of the unprecedented co-hosting arrangement, the two countries agreed in 1996 that the official title for the event should be "2002 FIFA World Cup KoreaJapan." The order of the countries' names carried a lot of pride for South Koreans, who still harbor deep feelings about Japan's past colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. On Jan. 5, Yasuhiko Endo, secretary general of Japan's organizing committee, informed South Korea that Japan planned to reverse the name order in tickets to be sold in Japan, said Moon Dong-hoo, Endo's South Korean counterpart. The move triggered an angry reaction from South Korean soccer officials, who accused Japan of violating the FIFA agreement, endorsed by the two governments. Concerned by the overheated campaigns by Japan and South Korea to host the tournament, FIFA decided in 1996 to let the two countries co-host the final tournament at 20 venues evenly divided between the two sides. Under complex terms worked out with FIFA, Japan will host the final match in Yokohama. South Korea settled for hosting the opening match in Seoul, but in return, FIFA agreed to place its name ahead of Japan in its logo for the 2002 tournament. "We must stick to principles. If Japan switches the final match and opening match with us, then we are willing to consider the Japanese proposal [to change the name order]," Chung said. He refused to say how Japan reacted to the South Korean response. Soccer officials said FIFA will rule on the controversy. The Japan Soccer Association's Inomata said the association would accept FIFA's decision. Around 3 million tickets will be sold for the tournament. The Japanese and South Korean organizing committees will receive about 750,000 tickets each for sale, with the other 1.5 million sold internationally. Japan ruled Korea as a colony from 1910 until its World War II defeat in 1945.
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