Koreans look to repeat 2002 performance

Cologne, Germany:

South Korea arrived at the 2006 World Cup on Tuesday with coach Dick Advocaat vowing he wants his team to repeat the 2002 shock of reaching the last four of the competition. "I'm happy to be here. And I want to have at least the same results as last time," the Dutchman told reporters in front of the team's headquarters at the Grand Hotel Schloss Bensberg just outside Cologne. In 2002, South Korea was urged on by the home support and knocked off Poland, Portugal, Spain and Italy in charging to the semifinals. The team, coached by fellow Dutch man Guus Hiddink, went on to lose to Germany 1-0 in the semis. This World Cup team, led by Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung, has failed to find any form and has been through two coaches before deciding on Advocaat late last year. Advocaat's team touched down from Glasgow, Scotland, where the team had been training in the run-up to the World Cup. South Korea struggled in the final friendly, losing 3-1 to World Cup team Ghana on Sunday in Scotland. In earlier warmups, the Koreans beat Bosnia-Herzogovina 2-0, drew 1-1 with Senegal and beat Angola 1-0. The team was welcomed at the airport by a delegation of South Koreans including the nation's consul general in Germany. The Asian team then boarded its bright-red colored team bus and headed for the team hotel where 300 South Korean and German fans were waiting to greet the team. South Korea will kick off its training Wednesday morning and play its first game in Group G against World Cup newcomers Togo on June 13 in Frankfurt. The remaining group games have the Asians facing France in Leipzig on June 18 and Switzerland in Hanover on June 23. (AP)