Editing 2002 FIFA World Cup (section)

==Host selection==
{{Main|FIFA World Cup hosts}}

[[File:Boeing 747-4B5, Korean Air AN0241562.jpg|thumb|right|[[Korean Air]] [[Boeing 747]] adorned with 2002 World Cup livery marking South Korea as co-hosts]]
[[File:FIFA2002-10000yen.jpg|thumb|right|Japanese [[10,000 yen coin]] for the 2002 FIFA World Cup]]

South Korea and Japan were selected as hosts by FIFA on 31 May 1996. Initially, South Korea, Japan and [[Mexico]] presented three rival bids. South Korea's entry into the race was seen by some as a response to the bid of political and sporting rival Japan.<ref name="Varcoe">{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2002/05/18/soccer/international-soccer/beyond-the-limits-of-normalcy/|title=Beyond the limits of normalcy|last=Varcoe|first=Fred|date=18 May 2002|work=[[The Japan Times Online]]|access-date=25 April 2019|language=en-US|issn=0447-5763|archive-date=4 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201104145047/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2002/05/18/soccer/international-soccer/beyond-the-limits-of-normalcy/|url-status=live}}</ref> FIFA leaders were split on whom to favor as host as politics within the world governing body held sway.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2002/05/19/soccer/international-soccer/taming-the-bulldog/|title=Taming the 'bulldog'|last=Varcoe|first=Fred|date=19 May 2002|work=[[The Japan Times Online]]|access-date=25 April 2019|language=en-US|issn=0447-5763|archive-date=25 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190425015052/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2002/05/19/soccer/international-soccer/taming-the-bulldog/|url-status=live}}</ref> With Mexico regarded as a long shot, the battle to host the tournament came down to South Korea and Japan. The two Asian rivals went on a massive and expensive PR blitz around the world, prompting Sultan [[Ahmad Shah of Pahang|Ahmad Shah]], the head of the [[Asian Football Confederation]], to step in.<ref name="Varcoe"/> FIFA boss [[João Havelange]] had long backed the Japanese bid,<ref name=":0"/> but his rival in FIFA, UEFA chief [[Lennart Johansson]], sought to undermine Havelange's plans.<ref name=":0" /> [[UEFA]] and the AFC viewed co-hosting between the two Asian rivals as the best option.<ref name=":0" /> South Korea and Japan were finally faced with a choice of having no World Cup or a shared World Cup and they reluctantly chose to go along with co-hosting.<ref name=":0" /> South Korea and Japan were chosen unanimously as co-hosts in preference to Mexico.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Grahame L. |date=1 June 1996 |title=A Political Football Lands in Japan and South Korea |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-01-sp-10647-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=22 July 2017 |archive-date=17 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417061138/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-06-01-sp-10647-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This was the first World Cup to be hosted by more than one country, the second being the [[2026 FIFA World Cup|2026 World Cup]], which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. This is also the first ever World Cup to be hosted in Asia, the other being the [[2022 FIFA World Cup|2022 World Cup]] hosted by [[Qatar]] twenty years later and the first World Cup to be held outside of Europe and the Americas. The general secretary of South Korea's bidding committee, Song Young-shik, stated that FIFA was interested in staging some matches in North Korea in order to aid [[Korean reunification]], but it was ruled out.<ref>{{cite news |last=Jones |first=Grahame L. |date=5 June 1996 |title=North Korea Enters World Cup 2002 Mix |page=C4 |work=The Los Angeles Times |url=https://latimes.newspapers.com/clip/16185329/north_korea_and_2002_fifa_world_cup/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=1 January 2018 |archive-date=2 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102073905/https://latimes.newspapers.com/clip/16185329/north_korea_and_2002_fifa_world_cup/ |url-status=live }} {{open access}}</ref> Though co-hosting the World Cup allowed Japan and South Korea to collaborate, the event did not significantly alter [[Japan–South Korea relations|relations]] between the two countries, which have historically been strained.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Cha |first=Victor |date=2002 |title=The World Cup, Sports Diplomacy, and Japan-Korea Relations |url=https://cc.pacforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/0202qjapan_korea.pdf }}</ref> Even so, the World Cup promoted a global vision of cooperation between Japan and South Korea.<ref name=":1" /> After being prevented from hosting along with South Korea, North Korea decided to host their own sports event, the Arirang Mass Games, at the same time as the World Cup. This is not unlike their course of action during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where they decided to host the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students simultaneously<ref>https://www.monash.edu/arts/languages-literatures-cultures-linguistics/korean-studies-research-hub/research/on-this-day-in-korean-history/11-5.31-the-start-of-the-2002-japan-south-korea-world-cup</ref>


At the time the decision was made, Japan had never qualified for a World Cup final (although the Japanese did subsequently qualify for the [[1998 FIFA World Cup|1998 competition]]). The only other countries to have been awarded a World Cup without previously having competed in a final tournament are Italy in [[1934 FIFA World Cup|1934]] and Qatar in 2022 (Uruguay hosted the first World Cup in [[1930 FIFA World Cup|1930]] so there was no prior tournament; they were defending Olympic champions from [[1928 Summer Olympics|1928]]).

The unusual choice of host proved an issue for football fans in Europe, used to watching international matches on or close to their time zone.<ref name="Sports Marketing: Beer for Breakfast">{{cite web|last1=Goddard|first1=Lexie|title=Sports Marketing: Beer for Breakfast|url=http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/sports-marketing-beer-breakfast-world-cup-matches-will-start-school-run-marketers-having-rethink-promotions/142390?preferredformat=mobile|website=Campaign|access-date=1 October 2015|archive-date=2 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002083330/http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/sports-marketing-beer-breakfast-world-cup-matches-will-start-school-run-marketers-having-rethink-promotions/142390?preferredformat=mobile|url-status=live}}</ref> With games taking place in the European morning, some schools and businesses chose to open late on match days or set up communal watching events before the start of work.<ref name="School succumbs to football fever">{{cite news|last1=Curtis|first1=Polly|title=School succumbs to football fever|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2002/jun/11/schools.uk7|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=1 October 2015|date=11 June 2002|archive-date=3 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003033228/http://www.theguardian.com/education/2002/jun/11/schools.uk7|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="World Cup 2002: a shot at goal">{{cite web|last1=Quick|first1=Chris|title=World Cup 2002: a shot at goal|url=https://www.accountancylive.com/world-cup-2002-shot-goal|website=Accountancy Live|access-date=1 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002075223/https://www.accountancylive.com/world-cup-2002-shot-goal|archive-date=2 October 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>