South Korea has a great chance to host the 2022 World Cup according to Han Sung-joo, the chairman of the nation’s bidding committee.
The East Asian nation is battling to win the right to host the full tournament 20 years after co-hosting the 2002 World Cup with Japan.
Chairman Han pointed to the fact that Korea has everything needed to hold a successful competition.
"Given our circumstances, I believe our country, in comparison to other nations, is in an advantageous position," Han told Yonhap News Agency.
Similarly to Qatar, Korea is bidding only for the 2022 version. England, USA, Japan, Australia, Russia are also contesting 2018 as are joint bids from Netherlands-Belgium and Spain-Portugal.
"FIFA puts great emphasis on what kind of legacy (the World Cup) leaves (on a host nation) ... hosting the 2022 World Cup will give us an opportunity to inspire the world and show how Korea has survived the hardships of war, division and poverty, and developed into an advanced nation," said Han,
Han also pointed to Korea’s successful hosting of a number of international tournaments and an infrastructure that is already in place. Additionally, there is a plan to involve North Korea in the tournament as Han pointed out.
"Jong Tae-se (North Korea’s star striker) recently said in an interview with the Associated Press that South Korea's hosting of the World Cup could not only contribute greatly to the reconciliation between the North and the South, something that politics (at the moment) cannot do, but help out greatly with North Korea's overall football skills."
"Not only do I think it will help the country's football skill, but I believe it could become a key opportunity for North Korea to enter the mainstream global arena," said Han, a former foreign minister of South Korea.
source:goal.com
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