South Korea’s national football team (Korean: ; recognized as Korea Republic by FIFA) is managed by the Korea Football Association and represents South Korea in men’s international football. South Korea has risen as a prominent football force in Asia since the 1980s, and is the most successful Asian football team in history, having competed in 10 consecutive and eleven total FIFA World Cup tournaments, the most of any Asian country. Despite going through five World Cup championships without winning a game, South Korea became the only Asian team to reach the semi-final stages of the 2002 event, which they co-hosted with Japan. South Korea also won two AFC Asian Cup championships and finished second four times. Furthermore, at the senior Asian Games, the team won three gold medals and three silver medals. [4]
The squad is frequently referred to as the “Reds” by fans and the media owing to the color of their primary uniform. The Red Devils are the official name for the national team’s fan club.
Early history
The inaugural All Joseon Football Tournament was conducted in 1921, and the Joseon Football Association was formed in 1928, laying the groundwork for the spread and development of football in Korea. [7] Beginning approximately 1926, Korean teams competed against Japanese sides; the Joseon Football Club became a de facto national team for Koreans, winning the Emperor’s Cup in 1935. [6] Koreans also represented Japan on the national team, most notably Kim Yong-sik, who represented Japan at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
The Joseon FA was reorganized in 1945, when the Japanese occupation of the country ended with the end of World War II. [6] [9] Following the foundation of the South Korean state in the late 1940s, a new Korea Football Association (KFA) was formed in 1948 and joined FIFA, the world’s regulatory organization of football. At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, the South Korean national team made their international debut, winning 5-3 against Mexico.
First World Cup team
South Korea joined FIFA World Cup qualifying for the first time in 1954, and qualified for the tournament by defeating Japan 7-3 on aggregate. [10] South Korea was just the second Asian team, after the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), to compete in a World Cup, and the first completely independent Asian nation to do so. South Korea lost its only two games by a combined score of 9-0 against Hungary (the joint-heaviest defeat in World Cup history) and 7-0 to Turkey. Their third planned game, against West Germany, was never played since neither team was seeded in their group under the regulations of that tournament. [11] It would be 32 years before South Korea could compete in the World Cup finals again.
Despite this dismal showing, South Korea came back to win the inaugural AFC Asian Cup in 1956. [12] They hosted the 1960 edition and successfully defended their title, defeating South Vietnam, Israel, and the Republic of China. [13] However, instead of the gold medals promised, the South Korean players received bogus medals and returned them to the KFA. [14] The KFA promised them genuine medals, but this did not happen until 2019. South Korea has not won the AFC Asian Cup since 1960, which has been blamed on the “curse of the phony gold medals.”
Golden generation
South Korea won the East Asian tournament of the 1986 FIFA World Cup qualifying competition in 1986, including two victories against Japan in the last round, and qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1954. The South Korean roster for the 1986 FIFA World Cup was regarded as the country’s golden generation because one of the finest forwards in the German Bundesliga at the time, Cha Bum-kun,[23][24], joined the existing winning side. [25] South Korea fell 3-1 against eventual winner Argentina, although Park Chang-sun scored South Korea’s first World Cup goal in the opening group match.
They drew 1-1 with Bulgaria before facing reigning champion Italy in the decisive final match. They let up the opening goal to Alessandro Altobelli, but Choi Soon-ho equalized outside the penalty area. However, Altobelli’s second goal was followed by Cho Kwang-deadly rae’s own goal, and South Korea lost the match 3-2, despite Huh Jung-goal. moo’s Following that, South Korean newscasts and media chastised referee David Socha, alleging that his decisions concerning game conditions were bad, especially the decision to award Italy a penalty. [26] [27] South Korea made amends for their World Cup defeat by winning gold in the Asian Games in 1986.
Hiddink’s brilliance [2002]
On December 18, 2000, the KFA appointed Dutch coach Guus Hiddink as manager of the squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted in South Korea. [33] The KFA offered him long-term training camps and autonomy over coaching staff management. [34] They fell 5-0 to eventual champions France in the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and failed to move to the semi-finals after overcoming Australia and Mexico. When South Korea lost 5-0 to Czech Republic in a friendly match following the Confederations Cup, South Korean press lambasted Hiddink and gave him the moniker “Oh-dae-ppang,” which means “five to zero” in Korean.
South Korea finished fourth in the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, with two draws and three losses without a win. However, they demonstrated their progress in pre-World Cup friendly matches against European teams, successfully completing their preparation for the tournament.
South Korea and Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They had never won a World Cup game before, but the South Korean squad won their first World Cup game with a 2-0 victory over Poland when the tournament began. Their next game was a 1-1 tie against the United States, with striker Ahn Jung-hwan scoring a late game equalizer. Their most recent match was against the well fancied Portuguese team. Portugal was reduced to nine men after receiving two red cards, and Park Ji-sung scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory, allowing the South Korean team to advance to the second round for the first time in their history. The club’s win sparked enormous jubilation among the South Korean population, with many individuals flocking to the Red Devils, gaining worldwide notice for their fervent support of the squad.
South Korea faced Italy in the second round, which they overcame 2-1. South Korea was given a penalty early on, but Ahn Jung-strike hwan’s was saved by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. Christian Vieri then scored to put Italy ahead, but Seol Ki-hyeon equalized in the 88th minute, forcing the game into extra time. Francesco Totti was controversially sent off for an alleged dive, and Ahn redeemed his missed penalty with a headed golden goal, advancing them to the quarter-finals. In the quarter-finals, South Korea faced Spain.
Spain scored twice in this encounter, but both goals were disallowed by the officials. [40] [41] The game then went to penalties, which South Korea won 5-3, making them the first Asian team to reach the final four. [42] The South Korean team’s run came to an end in the semi-finals when they were defeated 1-0 by Germany. They finished the tournament in fourth place after losing 3-2 to Turkey in the third-place match.
Team captain Hong Myung-bo was given the Bronze Ball as the World Cup’s third best player, becoming the first Asian footballer to do so. Furthermore, Hong was picked to the tournament team alongside colleague Yoo Sang-chul, marking the first and only occasion Asian footballers have been named. This degree of accomplishment was unparalleled for a country that had never previously won a World Cup game. They had advanced further than any Asian team and upset several established European teams in the process, leading to an increase in the country’s popularity of football. Hiddink became a national hero in South Korea, where he was the first person to be granted honorary citizenship and a private villa. [Citation required]
Captain Park Ji-Sung era [2008]
South Korea appointed Huh Jung-moo as manager and Park Ji-sung as captain in 2008. In 2009, the South Korean squad was unbeaten for 27 games in a row under Huh and Park. [43] They went undefeated in the fourth round of FIFA World Cup qualification, recording four wins and four draws against North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
They defeated Greece 2-0 in their opening game at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with to goals from Lee Jung-soo and Park Ji-sung. They were later defeated 4-1 by Argentina, with to an own goal by striker Park Chu-young. They then drew 2-2 against Nigeria, with Lee Jung-soo scoring for the second time in the tournament and Park Chu-young redeeming his own goal from the previous game with a free kick. This allowed them to advance to the second round on foreign soil for the first time. In the knockout stage, they faced Uruguay, who took an early lead thanks to a Luis Suárez goal.
South Korea equalized in the second half when Lee Chung-yong scored his second goal of the tournament, but Suárez scored again in the 80th minute. Despite dominating possession in the second half, South Korea was unable to equalize and was eliminated from the tournament.
Kazan miracle 2018
South Korea won all seven qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup without conceding a goal in the second round, but after a string of poor results in the third round of qualifiers, including losses to China and Qatar, former manager Uli Stielike was fired and replaced by under-23 coach Shin Tae-yong for the remainder of the qualifying round. [44] Under Shin Tae-leadership, yong’s the team finished second in their group after two goalless draws against Iran and Uzbekistan, putting South Korea to the World Cup for the seventh time in a row.
At the 2018 World Cup, they were defeated 1-0 by Sweden after conceding a penalty kick. They were then defeated 2-1 by Mexico after surrendering another penalty kick. South Korea was not eliminated despite two straight defeats. South Korea would need to win their last group stage encounter against reigning champions Germany by at least two goals, while Mexico would need to win its final group stage game against Sweden. South Korea, for its part, did what it needed to do to be in contention, winning 2-0 against Germany on goals from Kim Young-gwon and Son Heung-min, sending them out in the first round for the first time in 80 years.
Germany had 28 shots, 6 of which were on target, but South Korea’s defense, headed by goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo, did not permit a single goal. [47] However, Mexico lost against Sweden on the same day, and South Korea finished third in the group. As a result, South Korea saved Mexico from elimination, and Mexican fans praised and celebrated the Koreans’ victory in front of the South Korean embassy. [48] Despite their withdrawal from the tournament, the match is known as the “Miracle of Kazan” in South Korea.
