Japan-Based Players to Join the National Team on 18th

○…Players based in Japan, who will participate in the national soccer team’s field training in Spain, including Yoon Jung-Hwan (Cerezo Osaka), are to join the national team on the 18th.

Apart From Yoon, Choi Yong-Su (Ichihara) , Yoo Sang-Chul and Hwang Sun-Hong (both Kashiwa Reysol), and Park Ji-Sung (Kyoto Purple Sanga) can only join after the 18th, and that is why they will not participate in the first game of the field training program in Spain, match with Tunisie (13th).

○…32 World Cup participating nations are becoming busy preparing for the final entries, as there are 36 matches between national teams (A-match) in a single month of March.

According to Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)’s A-Match list in March, there is a total of 24 games on 26th and 27th, the days of A-Match, including the match between England and Italy on the 27th (local time).

○…National Council for Better Korea Movement (president Lee Young-Duk) will hold a staff workshop for successful World Cup at Cheonan Sangrok Resort on the 6th and 7th. 125 staff will attend the workshop, and 10 region-representatives are to hold presentations and group discussions about kindness, order, and cleanliness.

○…Korea’s popular pop singer, Cho Yong-Pil, will perform with each continent’s top pop singers during the 2002 World Cup eve event on May 30.

Korea’s World Cup organizing committee (KOWOC) has decided on the 4th to invite 6 popular singers, including Japan’s Amuro Namie, China’s Song Zuying, France’s Patricia Kaas, and Argentina’s Diego Torres. From the continent of Africa, a choice between South Africa’s Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Senegal’s Ismael Lo will be made.

○…Third sales of 2002 World Cup tickets will begin on May 1 with sharply risen price. KOWOC said that from the third sales, official exchange rate on May 1 would be applied, which will turn 1 dollar into over 1,300 won. Because the organizing committee applied 1,000 won per dollar in the first sales and 1,100 won per dollar in the second sales, the third sales price will rise 20 Per Cent higher than that of the second sales.

Jong-Koo Yang stt77@donga.com · yjongk@donga.com