It was the first refreshing match in a long time. Korean football beat Kuwait and is on its way to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. It will be the seventh time since the 1986 event in Mexico that Korea has reached the finals. The fans that were up in the middle of the night to watch it surely felt a satisfying sense of refreshment. One particularly wants to compliment the young players like Park Chu Young and Chung Kyung Ho for their fine performance. Their delightful victory secured in a strange land will contribute to changing the mood in Korean society lately, depressed because of the tiresome political infighting and annoying scandals.
Now it gets serious. The advanced football Korea will meet in the finals, particularly European football, will need serious preparation. Korea needs to prove that it reached the final four in the 2002 Seoul World Cup not because of the luck or coincidence of the home court advantage.
There remain reasons to be worried about Korean football. It seems to lack confidence in areas such as scoring, physical strength, teamwork, and tactics. Another reason is the chronic problem with defense. Korea's national team plays weak whenever it goes abroad. The difference in performance when it plays at home and away was easily seen in the Asian preliminaries. It was proven in the recent match against Uzbekistan and in April's match in Saudi Arabia. Korea won in Kuwait and earned its way to the World Cup, but if it does not overcome its "game away jinx" it will have no future. Offense is good, but there still seems to be a dependence on individual talent, as if offense is splintered. Set plays have improved, but many goals were scored in chance situations. The color and character of Korean football was not given a clear demonstration.
There remains a year before the main competition. The team needs to improve its organization and fighting power. There needs to be continuous recruitment of new players. One hopes to see Korea's arrival at the next World Cup have the effect of making Korea a football powerhouse, with all the enjoyment and economic effects which come with that.
Meanwhile it is unfortunate that North Korea was unable to score a single victory in the preliminaries. It is probably largely because of the North's lack of recent international experience that it has fallen behind after once doing well on the global stage. Korea must actively look for ways to substantially help improve the quality of North Korean football.
The Hankyoreh, 10 June 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] On to the World Cup |
