Korea are also the continent's most successful team at the showpiece event. The Taeguk Warriors will be hoping to translate their regional dominance on to the world stage again when South Africa 2010 kicks off.Korea may have qualified for their seventh consecutive world finals, but it was a bumpy ride this time. Despite a series of lacklustre performances in the third round, the South Koreans managed to top their group after two goalless draws with neighbours Korea DPR. The North Koreans proved to be their nemesis again in the final round, holding the Taeguk Warriors to a 1-1 stalemate in Shanghai. However, they bounced back in style with back-to-back wins over United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, before a crucial 1-1 draw with Iran in Tehran. A 1-0 home victory in the Korean derby followed, and the mission was accomplished with a 2-0 win against UAE on the road.
* Korea are the most frequent visitors from Asia to the FIFA World Cup, and are set to make their eighth appearance this time in South Africa.
* The best result the Taeguk Warriors have achieved so far was at Korea/Japan 2002, where they swept past European powerhouses Portugal, Italy, and Spain to reach the last four.
