/ 7 December 2001

Korean adventure

Group B, made up of South Africa, seeded team Spain, Paraguay and Slovenia will be based in Korea.

Korea is a peninsular country, with rugged mountains, that dangles from the south-east corner of Asia. What the Koreans lack in natural resources such as oil and other minerals they make up for in technology and business. The people of Korea are well educated and are in the forefront of the information age.

Korea has no official state religion although Buddhism has the largest following. The Koreans’ culture is rich and distinct. This is evident in the arts, architecture, language, music, dance and beliefs.

South Africa will kick off their world cup campaign against Paraguay in Busan, the nation’s principal seaport, which boasts the oldest fish market, the Jagalchi Sijang, and was venue for last weekend’s draw.

Bafana then move on to Daegu, the Korean capital of textiles, where they will play World Cup newcomers Slovenia.

The South African team’s final game will be against Spain in Daejeon, known as the Silicon Valley of Korea. This is the home of Korea’s national think-tank and has excellent hot springs.