South Korea at the FIFA World Cup

This is a record of the South Korea's results at the FIFA World Cup. South Korea have appeared in the FIFA World Cup on ten occasions. The team made their debut appearance in 1954, and appeared consecutively in every edition since 1986. South Korea's best ever performance is a fourth place in the 2002 tournament, which they co-hosted with Japan, thus becoming the first team outside Europe and the Americas to reach the semi-finals.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA Squad Pld W D L GF GA
1930 Not a FIFA member
1934
1938
1950 Did not enter
1954 Group stage 16th 2 0 0 2 0 16 Squad 211073
1958 Preliminary competition entry denied[1]
1962 Did not qualify 420269
1966 Did not enter
1970 Did not qualify 412165
1974 8341104
1978 12561169
1982 320174
1986 Group stage 20th 3 0 1 2 4 7 Squad 8701173
1990 22nd 3 0 0 3 1 6 Squad 11920301
1994 20th 3 0 2 1 4 5 Squad 13931325
1998 30th 3 0 1 2 2 9 Squad 12921288
2002 Fourth place 4th 7 3 2 2 8 6 Squad Qualified as hosts
2006 Group stage 17th 3 1 1 1 3 4 Squad 12732187
2010 Round of 16 15th 4 1 1 2 6 8 Squad 14770227
2014 Group stage 27th 3 0 1 2 3 6 Squad 148332711
2018 19th 3 1 0 2 3 3 Squad 1812333810
2022 Qualified 161231354
2026 To be determined
Total Fourth place 11/19[lower-alpha 1] 34 6 9 19 34 70 151 94 39 18 299 90
  1. Statistics since 1948, when South Korea became a member of FIFA.

Team records

General records

First match  South Korea 0–9 Hungary 
(17 June 1954; Zurich, Switzerland)
Biggest win  South Korea 2–0 Poland 
(4 June 2002; Busan, South Korea)
 South Korea 2–0 Greece 
(12 June 2010; Port Elizabeth, South Africa)
 South Korea 2–0 Germany 
(27 June 2018; Kazan, Russia)
Biggest defeat  South Korea 0–9 Hungary 
(17 June 1954; Zurich, Switzerland)

World records

Fastest goal conceded from kickoff
11 seconds, Hakan Şükür (Turkey), vs South Korea, 2002
Most goals conceded, one tournament
16, Hong Deok-young, 1954
Lowest goal difference, one tournament
−16, South Korea, 1954
Biggest margin of loss
9, Hungary 9–0 South Korea, 1954; Yugoslavia 9–0 Zaire, 1974 and Hungary 10–1 El Salvador, 1982
Biggest upset in the knockout stage, per FIFA rankings
+34 – South Korea (2002) ranked 40 – won 2–1 over Italy (ranked 6)
Biggest upset of a defending champion, per FIFA rankings
+56 – South Korea (2018) ranked 57 – won 2–0 over Germany (ranked 1)
Biggest upset of a top ranked team, per FIFA rankings
+56 – South Korea (2018) ranked 57 – won 2–0 over Germany (ranked 1)

Head-to-head record

Key
Positive balance (more wins)
Neutral balance (equal W/L ratio)
Negative balance (more losses)
Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD Confederation
 Algeria100124−2 CAF
 Argentina200227−5 CONMEBOL
 Belgium301214−3 UEFA
 Bolivia1010000 CONMEBOL
 Bulgaria1010110 UEFA
 France1010110 UEFA
 Germany3102440 UEFA
 Greece110020+2 UEFA
 Hungary100109−9 UEFA
 Italy2101440 UEFA
 Mexico200225−3 CONCACAF
 Netherlands100105−5 UEFA
 Nigeria1010220 CAF
 Poland110020+2 UEFA
 Portugal110010+1 UEFA
 Russia1010110 UEFA
 Spain302135−2 UEFA
 Sweden100101−1 UEFA
  Switzerland100102−2 UEFA
 Togo110021+1 CAF
 Turkey2002210−8 UEFA
 United States1010110 CONCACAF
 Uruguay200213−2 CONMEBOL
Total3469193470–36

Player records

Most appearances

Hong Myung-bo is South Korea's most capped player in the FIFA World Cup.
Rank Player Caps Goals Competitions
1Hong Myung-bo1621990, 1994, 1998, 2002
2Park Ji-sung1432002, 2006, 2010
3Lee Young-pyo1202002, 2006, 2010
4 Lee Woon-jae1101994, 2002, 2006
Kim Nam-il1102002, 2006, 2010
6 Hwang Sun-hong1021990, 1994, 2002
Kim Tae-young1001998, 2002
Yoo Sang-chul1021998, 2002
Lee Chun-soo1012002, 2006
10 Kim Joo-sung901986, 1990, 1994
Ahn Jung-hwan932002, 2006
Choi Jin-cheul902002, 2006
Seol Ki-hyeon912002, 2006
Ki Sung-yueng912010, 2014, 2018

Top goalscorers

Park Ji-sung is the only South Korean player to score at three different FIFA World Cups.
Rank Player Goals Caps Competitions
1 Son Heung-min362014, 2018
Ahn Jung-hwan392002, 2006
Park Ji-sung3142002, 2006, 2010
4 Lee Jung-soo242010
Lee Chung-yong272010, 2014
Hwang Sun-hong2101990, 1994, 2002
Yoo Sang-chul2101998, 2002
Hong Myung-bo2161990, 1994, 1998, 2002

Awards

South Korea is the only Asian team to ever win a team award at a FIFA World Cup when they were voted the Most Entertaining Team in 2002 after finishing in fourth place. In the same year, Hong Myung-bo and Yoo Sang-chul were voted members of the All Star Team. They are the only two Asians ever to be named in an All-Star Team. Hong also received the Bronze Ball award, becoming its first winner excluding Europeans and South Americans.

Details

1954 (Switzerland)

South Korea first appeared in the 1954 FIFA World Cup, as the second Asian team to ever enter the World Cup after Indonesia. Qualifying occurred in March 1954, barely one year after the end of the Korean War. Only South Korea and Japan wound up competing for the Asian spot in the Cup, and as the Koreans refused to give visas to their rivals and former colonizers, both qualifier games were held in Tokyo. With a squad that consisted entirely of army personnel, South Korea eliminated Japan with a 5–1 victory followed by a 2–2 draw.[2]

South Korea played games against Hungary and Turkey, losing 9–0 and 7–0 respectively. Hong Deok-young became the goalkeeper to concede the most goals in a single World Cup.[3]

17 June 1954 Group 2 Hungary  9–0  South Korea Hardturm Stadium, Zürich
18:00 UTC+1 Puskás 12', 89'
Lantos 18'
Kocsis 24', 36', 50'
Czibor 59'
Palotás 75', 83'
Report Attendance: 18,000
Referee: Raymond Vincenti (France)
20 June 1954 Group 2 Turkey  7–0  South Korea Charmilles Stadium, Geneva
17:00 UTC+1 Suat 10', 30'
Lefter 24'
Burhan 37', 64', 70'
Erol 76'
Report Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Esteban Marino (Uruguay)
Group 2 table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Hungary 2200173+144 Advance to knockout stage
 West Germany 210179–22
 Turkey 210184+42
 South Korea 2002016–160

1986 (Mexico)

South Korea started the first round of the qualification with Malaysia and Nepal. After qualifying for the knockout stage as group winners of the first round, South Korea beat Indonesia and Japan in the second round and the final round respectively. They gained one of the two spots in Asia.

In the World Cup finals, South Korea were allocated in group A with Argentina, Bulgaria and Italy. Their first match was against Argentina, who beat South Korea 3–1 with Diego Maradona playing a major role. Park Chang-sun scored the first South Korean goal of the World Cup history in the match against Argentina. South Korea drew the second match 1–1 with Bulgaria in a downpour, and lost the last group match 3–2 to defending champions Italy.

2 June 1986 Group A Argentina  3–1  South Korea Estadio Olímpico Universitario, Mexico City
12:00 UTC−5 Valdano 6', 46'
Ruggeri 18'
(Report) Park Chang-sun 73' Attendance: 60,000
Referee: Victoriano Sánchez Arminio (Spain)
10 June 1986 Group A South Korea  2–3  Italy Estadio Cuauhtémoc, Puebla
12:00 UTC−5 Choi Soon-ho 62'
Huh Jung-moo 83'
(Report) Altobelli 17', 73'
Cho Kwang-rae 82' (o.g.)
Attendance: 20,000
Referee: David Socha (United States)
Group A table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Argentina 321062+45 Advance to knockout stage
 Italy 312054+14
 Bulgaria 302124−22
 South Korea 301247−31

1990 (Italy)

South Korea won the Asian qualifying competition with nine victories and two draws without a defeat, showing overwhelming performances in Asia. However, they lost all three group matches against Belgium, Spain and Uruguay. Hwangbo Kwan scored a goal with a long-range free kick, giving the only comfort to them.[4]

12 June 1990 Group E Belgium  2–0  South Korea Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi, Verona
17:00 UTC+2 Degryse 53'
De Wolf 64'
Report Attendance: 32,790
Referee: Vincent Mauro (United States)
17 June 1990 Group E South Korea  1–3  Spain Stadio Friuli, Udine
21:00 UTC+2 Hwangbo Kwan 42' Report Míchel 22', 61', 81' Attendance: 32,733
Referee: Elías Jácome (Ecuador)
21 June 1990 Group E South Korea  0–1  Uruguay Stadio Friuli, Udine
17:00 UTC+2 Report Fonseca 90' Attendance: 29,039
Referee: Tullio Lanese (Italy)
Group E table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Spain 321052+35 Advance to knockout stage
 Belgium 320163+34
 Uruguay 311123−13
 South Korea 300316−50

1994 (United States)

In the final round of the Asian qualification, the top two countries could advance to the 1994 FIFA World Cup, but South Korea lacked one point as compared with Japan and Saudi Arabia prior to playing the last qualifier against North Korea. South Korea couldn't qualify for the World Cup without a help of other countries. Amazingly, an Iraqi forward Jaffar Omran scored the dramatic equaliser 17 seconds before the end of the match against Japan, and their match ended in a 2–2 draw.[5] South Korea defeated North Korea 3–0 at the same time, finishing the round on the same points as Japan. Conclusionally, South Korea succeeded in getting a World Cup ticket with a better goal difference than Japan,[5] and this result was called the "Miracle of Doha" in South Korea.[6]

In the 1994 World Cup, South Korea made tight games with Spain and Bolivia, but they were eliminated in the group stage after losing 3–2 to Germany.

17 June 1994 Group C Spain  2–2  South Korea Cotton Bowl, Dallas
18:35 CDT (UTC–5) Salinas 51'
Goikoetxea 55'
Report Hong Myung-bo 85'
Seo Jung-won 90'
Attendance: 56,247
Referee: Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)
23 June 1994 Group C South Korea  0–0  Bolivia Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough
19:35 EDT (UTC–4) Report Attendance: 54,453
Referee: Leslie Mottram (Scotland)
27 June 1994 Group C Germany  3–2  South Korea Cotton Bowl, Dallas
15:05 CDT (UTC–5) Klinsmann 12', 37'
Riedle 20'
Report Hwang Sun-hong 52'
Hong Myung-bo 63'
Attendance: 63,998
Referee: Joël Quiniou (France)
Group C table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Germany 321053+27 Advance to knockout stage
 Spain 312064+25
 South Korea 302145−12
 Bolivia 301214−31

1998 (France)

South Korea's former star player Cha Bum-kun managed the national team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In the first half of the first match against Mexico, Ha Seok-ju scored the opening goal with a free kick, but he was sent off for an ill-advised tackle three minutes after his goal.[7] They allowed Mexico three goals in the second half, failing to defend their 1–0 lead. They lethargically lost 5–0 to the Netherlands in the following match, and Cha was fired due to two defeats.[8] The assistant Kim Pyung-seok replaced Cha, leading a 1–1 draw with Belgium.[9]

13 June 1998 Group E South Korea  1–3  Mexico Stade Gerland, Lyon
17:30 UTC+2 Ha Seok-ju 28' (Report) Peláez 51'
Hernández 74', 84'
Attendance: 39,133
Referee: Günter Benkö (Austria)
Group E table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Netherlands 312072+55 Advance to knockout stage
 Mexico 312075+25
 Belgium 30303303
 South Korea 301229−71

2002 (South Korea and Japan)

South Korea was one of the host nations for the 2002 FIFA World Cup tournament, along with Japan. Led by a Dutch manager Guus Hiddink and his countryman Pim Verbeek, South Korean team won their first group match against Poland, achieving their first-ever World Cup victory.[10] Afterwards, they drew 1–1 with the United States in the following match and furthermore,[11] they defeated Portugal 1–0 in the last group match.[12] South Korean team qualified for the knockout stage as the group winners.[13]

In the second round, South Korea defeated Italy 2–1 after extra time,[14] although there were controversial judgements including Francesco Totti's second yellow card and an offside decision against Damiano Tommasi.[15] South Korea also defeated Spain on penalties in the quarter-finals, surpassing North Korea's result in 1966. However, their run was halted by losing 1–0 to Germany in the semi-finals.[16] They finished fourth in the tournament after losing 3–2 to Turkey in the third place match,[17][18] but their captain Hong Myung-bo won the Bronze Ball.

Group D table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 South Korea 321041+37 Advance to knockout stage
 United States 311156−14
 Portugal 310264+23
 Poland 310237−43
18 June 2002 Round of 16 South Korea  2–1 (a.e.t.)  Italy Daejeon World Cup Stadium, Daejeon
20:30 UTC+9 Seol Ki-hyeon 88'
Ahn Jung-hwan  117'
Report Vieri 18' Attendance: 38,588
Referee: Byron Moreno (Ecuador)
25 June 2002 Semi-finals Germany  1–0  South Korea Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul
20:30 UTC+9 Ballack 75' Report Attendance: 65,256
Referee: Urs Meier (Switzerland)

2006 (Germany)

Former manager Jo Bonfrère qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but he failed to satisfy the expectation of the Korea Football Association. Dick Advocaat replaced Bonfrère to participate in the World Cup,[19] but Advocaat secretly contracted with a Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg just before the tournament. He was criticized when the truth came out.[20]

Despite controversies about managers, South Korea beat Togo 2–1, and drew 1–1 with eventual finalists France. However, they were eliminated in the group stage after losing 2–0 to Switzerland in the last group match.

13 June 2006 Group G South Korea  2–1  Togo FIFA WM Stadion Frankfurt, Frankfurt
15:00 UTC+2 Lee Chun-soo 54'
Ahn Jung-hwan 72'
(Report) Kader 31' Attendance: 48,000
Referee: Graham Poll (England)
18 June 2006 Group G France  1–1  South Korea Zentralstadion, Leipzig
21:00 UTC+2 Henry 9' (Report) Park Ji-sung 81' Attendance: 43,000
Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico)
23 June 2006 Group G Switzerland   2–0  South Korea FIFA WM Stadion Hannover, Hanover
21:00 UTC+2 Senderos 23'
Frei 77'
(Report) Attendance: 43,000
Referee: Horacio Elizondo (Argentina)
Group G table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
  Switzerland 321040+47 Advance to knockout stage
 France 312031+25
 South Korea 311134−14
 Togo 300316−50

2010 (South Africa)

The Korean FA appointed Hiddink's predecessor Huh Jung-moo as the manager again after Pim Verbeek resigned due to his stress about the result in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.[21] Under Huh, South Korea won their group in the final round (fourth round) of the qualification with four victories and four draws without a loss, easily qualifying for the 2010 tournament.[22] Park Ji-sung, Park Chu-young, Lee Chung-yong, and Ki Sung-yueng were in charge of South Korea's attack in the qualifiers, and were evaluated as four key players among the squad of the time.[23]

South Korea became the runners-up in the Group B with four points, qualifying for the knockout stage. They were then eliminated from the tournament after losing to Uruguay in the round of 16.

17 June 2010 Group B Argentina  4–1  South Korea Soccer City, Johannesburg
13:30 UTC+2 Park Chu-young 17' (o.g.)
Higuaín 33', 76', 80'
Report Lee Chung-yong 45+1' Attendance: 82,174
Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium)[25]
Group B table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Argentina 330071+69 Advance to knockout stage
 South Korea 311156–14
 Greece 310225–33
 Nigeria 301235–21

2014 (Brazil)

Hong Myung-bo became the national team manager one year before the 2014 World Cup, and had to prepare the competition in a short period of time. He called the bronze medalists in the 2012 Summer Olympics who had been led by him, but they were weak in the World Cup. They were pelted with yeot (a traditional Korean confectionery) when returning to their country.[26]

17 June 2014 Group H Russia  1–1  South Korea Arena Pantanal, Cuiabá
18:00 BRT–1 (UTC−4) Kerzhakov 74' Report Lee Keun-ho 68' Attendance: 37,603
Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina)
26 June 2014 Group H South Korea  0–1  Belgium Arena Corinthians, São Paulo
17:00 BRT (UTC−3) Report Vertonghen 78' Attendance: 61,397
Referee: Ben Williams (Australia)
Group H table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Belgium 330041+39 Advance to knockout stage
 Algeria 311165+14
 Russia 302123–12
 South Korea 301236–31

2018 (Russia)

The Korean FA urgently put Shin Tae-yong as the new manager in the national team after sacking Uli Stielike for showing poor results in the qualification. Shin narrowly qualified for the 2018 World Cup, and quickly tested various tactics before the tournament. However, he had difficulty carrying out his plan due to injuries of many players, and some of them were excluded from his team.[27] South Korea achieved a victory against the defending champions Germany, but dropped out of the tournament after finishing the group stage.

23 June 2018 Group F South Korea  1–2  Mexico Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don
18:00 UTC+3 Report
Attendance: 43,472
Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)
27 June 2018 Group F South Korea  2–0  Germany Kazan Arena, Kazan
17:00 UTC+3 Report Attendance: 41,835
Referee: Mark Geiger (United States)
Group F table
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
 Sweden 320152+36 Advance to knockout stage
 Mexico 320134–16
 South Korea 31023303
 Germany 310224–23

See also

References

  1. "History of the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition (by year)" (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  2. Jessen, Christian, ed. (2003). Fussballweltmeisterschaft 1954: Schweiz (in German). Agon-Sportverlag. ISBN 3897842181.
  3. "Quirky Facts". Goalkeepers Are Different. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  4. 25m 캐넌슛 황보관 “짜릿한 경험” (in Korean). The Hankyoreh. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  5. 韓,월드컵 3회연속 본선. Naver.com (in Korean). Maeil Business Newspaper. 29 October 1993. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  6. "Socceroos hope to avoid agony against Iraq in World Cup qualifier". The Guardian. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  7. "20 years ago, Mexico and South Korea faced off at the World Cup. Here's what happened". Chicago Tribune. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  8. "South Korea Fires Soccer Coach". AP News. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  9. "South Korea Rallies to Tie Belgium". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  10. "Korea win ignites World Cup". BBC Sport. 4 June 2002. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  11. "Korea rally to deny US". BBC Sport. 10 June 2002. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  12. "Korea send Portugal home". BBC Sport. 13 June 2002. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  13. "In search of Korea's disappearing Red Devils". Korea JoongAng Daily. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  14. "Korea's golden moment". BBC Sport. 18 June 2002. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  15. "A forensic analysis of Byron Moreno's refereeing in Italy v South Korea, 2002". Planet Football. 18 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  16. "Germany shatter Korea". BBC Sport. 25 June 2002. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  17. "BBC SPORT | WORLD CUP | South Korea | Heroic Hiddink". BBC News. 22 June 2002. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  18. "Turkey finish in style". BBC Sport. 29 June 2002. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  19. 아드보카트, 한국축구대표팀 감독 확정(종합2보) (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 13 September 2005. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  20. 아드보카트, 러시아 프로팀과 계약? (in Korean). Pressian. 8 June 2006. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  21. 베어벡 사임 이유는?…경질 여론 스트레스 + 개인사. Nate.com (in Korean). Mydaily. 31 July 2007. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  22. 허정무 '소통의 리더십', 무패 본선행 위업 (in Korean). The Chosun Ilbo. 17 June 2009. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  23. [2010 남아공 월드컵] ‘16강 다이아몬드’ 양박 쌍용이 캔다 (in Korean). The JoongAng Ilbo. 4 January 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  24. "Referee designations for matches 1–16" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 5 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 June 2010.
  25. "Referee designations for matches 17–24" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  26. "Korean Soccer Team Pelted With Yeot Toffee Candy". Noonchi. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  27. [월드컵] 신태용호 '부상 경계령'…이용 출전 가능에 안도 (in Korean). Yonhap News Agency. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
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