Nat`l team coach swamped with fan letters

``I hope you will think of Korea as your second home,`` wrote a Korean soccer fan to Guus Hiddink, 55, head coach of the Korean national soccer team, on Hiddink`s homepage (www.bangga.com/hiddink). Many such letters have been appearing on the Website, their contents ranging from wishes for his early recovery from recent knee surgery to a request that he stay with the team forever and take Korean soccer to the next level.

Hiddink is now recovering at his home in the Netherlands after sustaining an injury to his right knee on Feb. 21. His aides said Hiddink greatly enjoys the letters from Korean fans. Upon arriving in Seoul to take up his new post early this year, the veteran coach said that his ultimate goal was to help Korea beat even his native country, the Netherlands. His aides said that the fan letters make Hiddink feel as if Korea is his fatherland as far as soccer is concerned.

Hiddink plans to further explore the potential of the Korean team during the second-phase training period, which extends from the Four Nations Tournament in Egypt that starts on Apr. 19 to the Confederation`s Cup tournament that ends on Jun. 10.

The coach`s highest expectations rest on Lee Dong-Guk, now playing for Bremen of Germany`s Bundesliga. Hiddink already sent assistant coach Verbek to Germany to assess Lee`s current condition and completed his analysis through videotapes. Earlier, Hiddink praised Lee, saying his skills put him among the top players in Europe. The coach plans to employ Lee as his premier striker starting in the Egypt tournament.

Bae Keuk-In bae2150@donga.com