South Korea were far from new to the World Cup in 2002 having qualified for the first time in 1954. They had also been part of every instalment since 1986, though in their 14 total games, spanning five separate tournaments and nearly half a century, they had never managed a win.
South Korea were to jointly alongside Japan, the first World Cup to be played in Asia. But given their poor previous record, the country was desperate to put on a good display, as at that time no hosts had ever before exited the World Cup at the group stage.