I believe the most memorable time to Korean are the 2002 World Cup. The 2002 World Cup was hosted by South Korea and Japan between May 31st and June 30th. It was the first World Cup held in Asia. People all around the world came to both Korea and Japan to see soccer games. Korean were very excited about this ever since the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games which were also held in Korea. They even made it to the semifinals for the first time in 48years. Some people say that the 2002 World Cup was a financial burden to Korea, but I think it was beneficial to South Korea in many aspects.

I think that the 2002 World Cup was a great success and it was obviously profitable to South Korea. First, the World Cup was an opportunity profitable to South Korea. First, the World Cup was an opportunity to let the world know about Korea’s presence. Many people didn’t know about Korea. Some people have not even heard about Korea. They were only interested in Korean soccer but they also got to know more about Korea’s culture and tradition. It also made many foreign tourists come to South Korea after the World Cup was over.

Second, the World cup make Korea and Japan have a closer relationship. Korea was once a colony of Japan. Many Koreans have had bad feelings against Japan for a long time. It could be said that the anger at Japan unified South Koreans, and the sentiment was getting worse. However the World Cup brought harmony and unity between these two countries, and Korean’s attitudes are improving in a good way since this event.

Third, the World cup strengthened the solidarity of South Korea. The whole nation bonded together in cheering the country. Thousands of people assembled in front of the City Hall of Seoul to root for the soccer game. After the game was over they showed their cooperation and a sense of public order by cleaning up the trash. This also improved Korea’s image worldwide.

Some might say that the 2002 World Cup was responsible for South Korea’s financial burden. They say that it took a lot of money to hold the World Cup. I do not agree with this. It did coast a tremendous amount, but the it also gave a priceless benefit to South Korea in both material and immaterial ways. After the World Cup tourists increased and South Korea is still earning large amounts of foreign currency. This is showing that foreign countries’ interests in Korea are growing and the world is focusing on Korea. The World Cup has played a big role in such happening. I’ve realized the powerful influence of sports, and I looking forward to the 2018 Pyunchang Winter Olympics also held in Korea.