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Team:
Korea Republic
Team History:
24 years after the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, Korea Republic made their debut in Switzerland becoming just the second Asian team to participate in a World Cup. They will be making their tenth appearance at the event this summer and will hope to surpass or at least tie their historic run from 2002. The best finish by an Asian team at a World Cup came when the tournament was hosted by both Korea and Japan, here Korea Republic placed fourth after beating numerous World Cup contenders. After a dominant group performance, beating both Portugal and Poland as well as earning a draw against the United States they moved on to the second round. They surprisingly beat Italy 2-1 in the second round in an extra time thriller and then Spain in the quarterfinals in a nerve-wracking penalty shootout. The dream ended however when they lost to heavyweights Germany in the semi-finals and again to Turkey in the third-place match. Since then, their performance in major tournaments has been quite lacking. In 2014, the team ended their summer early at the bottom of Group H with Belgium, Algeria, and Russia their opponents but they look to repeat the past of 2002 this summer.
Key Players:
Star Player
Son Heung-Min
Son Heung-Min is just 25 years old but is arguably one of the best Asian players to grace the English Premier League. While currently a starter for Tottenham Hotspur, Heung-Min began his career in Germany. At age 16 he joined the academy at Hamburger SV where he played from 2010-2013 scoring 20 goals in 73 appearances before he joined fellow Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen. Heung-Min just couldn’t stop scoring as he claimed 21 goals in 62 appearances in his two years at the club, this was enough to garner interest from Premier League giant Tottenham. In 2015, after many successful seasons in Germany he signed for Spurs on a five-year contract for a reported transfer fee of £22 million. Once he started playing in England, Son found himself immediately inserted into the starting XI and through 100 appearances for the club he has scored 30 goals and recorder 12 assists.
As for his international career, Son made his debut for South Korea in 2010 at age 18, scoring his first international goal about a year later in a 4-1 rout of India in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. Since then he has recorded 20 goals in 61 appearances for his home country, one of which proved to be the game winner in a nail biting qualifying match against Qatar in 2016 that ended 3-2 in Korea’s favor (see video below).
Unknown Player
Ki Sung-Yueng
Ki Sung-Yueng is considered a veteran player for the Korea Republic, even though some may have never heard of him. He is only 29 years old but has has amassed 97 appearences for his country and could become just the ninth player in Korea’s history to reach 100 during the World Cup this summer. Sung-Yueng made his international debut a decade ago in a 2008 qualification game against Jordan, scoring his first goal in a game against North Korea a few months later.
Like Heung-Min, he also plays in the English Premier League for Swansea City. Although not as prolific a goal-scorer as Son, he does have 163 appearances for the club and has consistently been a key player in Swansea’s midfield. In Gameweek 29 of the Fantasy Premier League, Sung-Yueng and Heung-Min appeared side by side in the Dream Team, a neat experience for the Koreans. Before the glam of the Premier League, Sung-Yueng actually started his career in Korea playing for FC Seoul in the K-League before moving to Celtics FC in 2009 for a three-year spell in the Scottish Premiership. In 2012, his dream of playing world class football came true when he signed for Swansea City.
Path to Qualification:
In the Asian Qualifiers, South Korea were heavy favorities to advance to the World Cup finals in Russia but this wouldn’t happen without a bit of drama. After a successful first round where the team demolished their opponents Laos, Lebanon, Kuwait, and Myanmar, the team struggled to find their stride in the next couple of rounds, losing to Iran, Qatar, and China. After the appointment of their new manager Shin Tae-Young, when Uli Stielike was let go (see next section), the team earned two 0-0 draws against Uzbekistan and Iran, which proved to be enough to land the team a spot in Russia.
Manager:
Shin Tae-Young
Following a poor performance in the first rounds of World Cup Qualifiers, manager Uli Stielike was sacked. After just three years with the team, the German manager was replaced by Shin Tae-Young. Tae-Young is no stranger to the Korea Republic or soccer, having played for the Korea Republic National Team for a total of 23 caps and scoring 2 goals along the way and K-League team Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma for 12 years. His playing experience is matched by his managerial experience as he has worked both in Korea and abroad for the Brisbane Roar (Australia), his former club Seongnam (Korea) as well as several youth Korea Republic teams.
Country Reaction/Fandom:
The fanbase has always been big in the Korea Republic but after the 2002 World Cup hosted by Korea and Japan, it grew considerably due to the success of the home team. After qualification, fans were ecstatic to see their team on the big stage for the tenth time but did not express the same sentiment after seeing the group they were drawn into (more about this to come in the next section).
The Taeguk Warriors, the Asian Tigers, the Reds, and the Red Devils. All of these are nicknames of the Korean Republic national team but the name that the fans go by is the Red Devils. The Red Devils are the official supporters club of the national team of the Korea Republic; fans typically attend games dressed head to toe in red and adorn devil horns. Most, if not all, attend the games live when they are in South Korea and many are expected to travel to Russia this summer but others watch the games on jumbotrons in public spaces throughout Korea. One of the popular chants heard by the Red Devils is the “Dae Han Min Guk” which is heard throughout stadiums and public spaces, alike.
Korea Republic fans singing the “Dae Han Min Guk” cheer on the streets
How Likely They Are to Advance:
Korea Republic was drawn into what is arguably the group of death (Group F) with Germany, Mexico, and Sweden. Even given the teams historic run in 2002, it seems unlikely that they will advance past reigning World Cup champions Germany, a yong but talented Mexico, and a team that has Zlatan Ibrahimovic. My prediction is that Germany and Mexico advance, in that order.
Video of Best Moment from Qualifiers:
October 6, 2016-Korea Republic versus Qatar. After Ki Sung-Yueng opened the scoring in the 11th minute, Qatar scored two goals before halftime to take the lead through a 16th minute penalty by Hassan Al Haydos and Andres Quintane in the 45th. The second half was a different story, with Ji Dongwon (56th) and Son Heung-Min (58th) scoring two minutes apart to reclaim the lead for Korea Republic and eventually the win with a 3-2 score line. On June 13, 2017 Qatar got their revenge, beating Korea Republic by a familiar score of 3-2.
Kit:
Images taken from soccer.com
Fun Fact:
Korea Republic is the most successful team in Asian World Cup history as they are set to make their 10th appearance, and 9th consecutive since 1986.
How to cite this article:
“2018 World Cup Underdogs: Korea Republic,” Written by Alex Torres (2018). World Cup 2018 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/mens-world-cup-2018-guide/2018-world-cup-underdogs/korea-republic/ (accessed on (date)).
Written by Alex Torres
Sources:
“Ki Sung-Yueng.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 May 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ki_Sung-yueng.
“KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION.” KFA, www.kfa.or.kr/eng/.
“Korean Soccer News & Analysis.” Tavern of the Taeguk Warriors, taegukwarriors.com/.
“Shin Tae-Yong.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 May 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shin_Tae-yong.
“Son Heung-Min.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 May 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Heung-min.
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