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South Korea
The Korean Republic side is a diamond in the rough.
Soccer officials in that nation are only hoping that Dutch strategist Guus Hiddink can polish it in time for the World Cup.
Although the national team has never won a World Cup match, expectations are high for a team that will be playing at home in front of its demanding fans.
As the countdown to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan continues, CNNSI.com's Pedro Pinto will take a close look at all of the nations that will contend for football's greatest prize.
Pinto is an anchor on World Sport, the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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The origins of South Korea's people are obscure. Korea was first populated by a people or peoples who migrated to the peninsula from the northwestern regions of Asia, some of whom also settled parts of northeast China (Manchuria). According to the legend, Tangun, the god-king, in 2333 B.C., founded the Korean nation. As one of the "Four Dragons" of East Asia today, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth.
Provided by CountryWatch.com
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Speed is the Korean Republic's key to unlocking opponent defenses, and Hiddink is well aware of it. That's why he has implemented a long-ball style that gives his quick strikers a chance to attack backtracking defenders.
How good can the Korean Republic be? Just ask Mexico and Australia, who lost to them at the FIFA Confederations Cup. The question is how often can they perform at their best, because if you watched them play in a 5-0 defeat to France, also in that competition, you would think that they do not have what it takes to compete at the highest level.
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Has to be Ki Hyeon Seol. The Anderlecht forward is one of the few Koreans who has played in one of the world's top leagues and performed adequately. His mazy runs create all sorts of havoc in opposing defenses; it's just a matter of finding out what kind of service he will receive from his teammates. He will need Dong Gook Lee, who is also known as the "Lion King," to roar alongside him in order to be effective.
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International experience. Only a handful of Korea's regular internationals have played outside Asia, and that will hurt the side's chances against the world's top teams. Their inexperience was visible in the recent defeat against France.
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Defense. The Korean Republic has its oldest player, Myung Bo Hong, leading its defense, but can he tutor his younger colleagues on how to stop the world's top strikers? Sung Yong Choi, who plays club football in Austria, will also be expected to help out, as the backline has to develop some more toughness in order to intimidate opponents.
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The Korean Republic qualified automatically as a 2002 World Cup co-host.
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The Korean Republic will be playing in its sixth World Cup. The team has made it into the last five, which is a record for an Asian nation. However, it has failed to win any of its 14 matches in the competition, achieving only four draws.
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Playing on home soil might be the only advantage that the Korean Republic will have at the World Cup. Hiddink will design a solid counterattack scheme in order to take advantage of his side's speed, but it still shouldn't be enough to see them out of the group phase. This nation will not excel on the world scene until more of its players get a taste of top-level club football.
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