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Karl
Senior Member
USA
914 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 27 2001 : 9:29:01 PM
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[WORLD CUP] World Cup Runneth Over
With one year left until the opening of the 2002 World Cup, South Koreans celebrated on May 31 the countdown for the international sports festival to be held in Korea and Japan from May 31 through June 30 next year.
Soccer fever appeared escalating with the games for the Confederations Cup at three state-of-the-art stadiums each in Korea and Japan, with eight teams participating, including world champion France.
Traffic-jammed streets in Seoul are bedecked with World Cup streamers that read, "Dynamic Korea!" or "Let's show the world what we can do!"
As they did during the 1988 Summer Olympics, South Koreans hope to demonstrate the country's ability to successfully host a major world event that will spur its economy.
Now, three of 10 brand-new stadiums are complete, and the remaining seven to be constructed by the end of this year.
As D-365 of the World Cup arrived, President Kim Dae-jung called on all Koreans to work together to prepare thoroughly in areas such as cultural events, tourism, science and technology to make the games a success.
"We should turn the World Cup into a chance to make the country prosper diplomatically, economically and culturally in sectors like tourism and science," Kim said during a cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on May 29.
"The World Cup is not a mere soccer tournament, but a chance to show the world all that we have, not just the soccer stadiums and the finals, but tourist spots and cultural events as well," the President said. A successful hosting of the international soccer festival will help improve Korea's image internationally and bring economic benefits, he added.
President Kim emphasized that all Koreans should join forces so that the World Cup will serve as an occasion for the nation to make another takeoff.
"The World Cup will be the biggest event that Korea has ever hosted. About 350,000 foreign tourists are expected to flock to Korea, and the world's 6 billion people will be watching the games," he said. "We have to make use of this unprecedented opportunity to enhance national standards in various aspects, including foreign relations, economy, culture, tourism and science."
He also cited a think tank's recent report that the World Cup would generate more than 10 trillion won in production and sales of the event and related industries.
The president observed that the successful hosting of the games would greatly contribute to enhancing the national image abroad, pointing out that after Spain successfully hosted the World Cup in 1982, its national image greatly improved and Spain's national income and tourism revenue doubled over the decade since. He expressed hope that the games would provide an occasion for all Koreans to achieve national unity and overcome regional, generational and social differences, as in the cases of Spain and France.
”ćA group of performers puts on a rehearsal for a mass theme show, hours before the opening of the Confederations Cup soccer tournament at the Daegu World Cup Stadium on May 30. Following the opening match between Korea and France, the intercontinental soccer event ran through June 10 between eight national teams.
Since the 2002 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by Korea and Japan, he suggested a "win-win" strategy for the two countries in hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup successfully.
Biggest Soccer Fest
The world's biggest soccer festival is expected to become something more than just a sports event. It will enable the Korean people to recover confidence lost after the crippling financial crisis of 1997 and show the world the nation is capable of hosting events of this magnitude.
To that end, Korea has already put 2 trillion won ($1.54 billion) into the construction of 10 state-of-the-art World Cup stadiums.
The festival will be the biggest ever in Korea, even outstripping the Olympic Games held here in Seoul in 1988. Some 13,000 players, coaching staff and reporters are expected to land on the peninsula, compared to 10,000 for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. And the combined TV audience for the duration of the event is expected to reach 42 billion, three times that of the Seoul Olympiad.
Moreover, the duration of the World Cup is 31 days, while the Seoul Olympiad was only 15, and total revenue for the event is estimated to reach 8 trillion won ($6.18 billion).
Aside from the economic aspect, the event also takes on a significant political meaning.
With Korea and Japan co-hosting the finals, the two nations will be able to establish a more future-oriented relationship, moving away from their long history of distrust.
The government is busy mapping out measures to support the success of the World Cup and to publicize the co-hosting.
In particular, the government designated 2002 the "Year of Exchange of Korean and Japanese People," and is operating special task forces to support bilateral consultation.
The two nations are planning to expand flight services and introduce visa exemptions during the World Cup period in order to promote exchanges between their peoples.
Moreover, the government has opened the door to Japanese pop culture here on three occasions since October 1998. Such efforts are sure to improve relations between the neighbors.
”ćAdding his support to Korea's successful hosting of the first-ever World Cup in Asia, President Kim Dae-jung signs a giant soccer ball placed in the public information center of the Korea World Cup Organizing Committee.
However, Japan's renewed flirtation with strong nationalism is feared to aggravate an already fractious relationship. Recently, Japan approved middle school history textbooks which contain passages that Korea and other victims of Japanese militarism consider distortions of reality. The Japanese prime minister's plan to visit Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, including those convicted of crimes against humanity, has made Asian neighbors less willing to move beyond the past.
With that in mind, President Kim asked Japan to consider the textbook's impact on its Asian neighbors and to settle the issue in a harmonious manner when he met with Korean and Japanese Buddhist leaders. The President said a successful co-hosting of the World Cup would be easier once the controversy is laid to rest.
The World Cup finals will also serve as a venue for summit diplomacy.
In the past, monarchs, presidents, prime ministers and other ranking officials attending the World Cup have held talks in between matches.
It will be of great interest to see whether Emperor Akihito will attend the opening ceremony in Seoul, as it is common practice for the host nation's leaders to attend the opening game.
It would be the first time a Japanese emperor has visited Korea, even though Japan forcibly annexed the peninsula from 1910 to 1945.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's attendance at the opening ceremony is another interesting possibility. Last April, Chung Mong-joon, chairman of the Korea World Cup Organizing Committee, invited Kim to attend the opening game.
Chung is also considering inviting other Asian leaders to the festival, possibly making Seoul the center of both football and diplomatic activities during the summer of 2002.
Economic Effects
The World Cup, the most widely watched sports extravaganza on the face of the earth, is expected to provide substantial economic benefits to South Korea when the event opens here next year, according to economists and sport experts.
The Korean World Cup Organizing Committee (KOWOC) has said that France, the 1998 World Cup host, earned an estimated 16 trillion won in profit ($12.3 billion) through hosting the tournament.
The soccer organizing committee added that investment in new stadiums, accommodation and other infrastructure projects would reach around 7.9 trillion won, which alone would create more than 245,000 new jobs.
In terms of profits, the games are expected to bring in about 400 billion won ($308 million) from tickets sales, sponsorships, FIFA subs
Karl |
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