One of the surprises of the 2002 World Cup was the achievement of co-hosts South Korea in reaching the semi-final.
To put it in context, it was Korea’s fourth World Cup, but before 2002 they had not won a single game!
This time with good preparation and home advantage they exceeded all expectations. It was not just that they reached the semis that was impressive, but the fact that they defeated Italy and Spain on the way.
A member of that extraordinary team, Lee Young Pyo, shares his incredible experience.

In the World Cup, every game was very tough, and every game remains in my memory. The game against Italy was a physically exhausting game for us. They are one of the strongest teams in the world. We allowed Italy to score and defeat seemed certain. Then we got two goals and won. In retrospect, it was a great game which is hardly describable.
In winning the quarter-final against Spain a penalty shoot-out was special and brought an enormous result for Korea to go through to the semi-final. It was a really moving game. The moment of the last penalty kick was amazing. Tens of millions of people were bonded as one. Everybody shed tears of joy and of emotion after the game.
The World Cup was a very important turning point for many Korean footballers. Many players, including myself, have gone abroad and are performing well. Playing in the World cup and playing against the best players in the world enables us to judge ourselves on the world stage. That gave us the confidence to play in the best leagues abroad.
The only negative is that our success has increased the expectations of the fans. It can be hard for the players to meet their expectations!
I became a Christian four years ago. Before that, to be honest, for me, the idea of God was a fairy story. I considered believing God was just for some odd people. Growing up in Korea, I was influenced by Buddhism and I would think that if I had had a religion I would have been a Buddhist.
Then friends of mine told me about God. Nevertheless I was not sure whether God existed or not. God needed to reveal Himself if He existed. Thus, I was eager to find out whether God existed or not, and when I honestly tried to find the answer to the question, God showed me that He really existed. I was amazed and I marvelled. I marvelled very much. After that I began to study about God [in the Bible] and came to know Him more and more closely.
Since then everything in my life has been changed. My way of thinking has changed. Questions, such as where I came from and where I am going have been answered. The problem of my sins [that is, wrong-doing against God], about which I sought answers with mental anguish without finding any when I was a secondary student, were answered by God [in the Lord Jesus’ death on the cross].
One of the biggest human problems is fear of death. As I know where I come from and where I will go, I know about death and am free from death itself. Therefore all my thoughts and my very life have been dramatically changed after I believed in God.
In football, winning and losing can be seen as everything and nothing. It may well be expressed that way, because for a football team the aim of a game is to win. However, believing in God and playing football I think: ‘There are not many things God wants me to do’ or ‘There are not many things I can do’. That is because I cannot decide any result, because that depends only on the will of God. All I can do is to prepare the best I can and to do my best in the game. Therefore, I can accept the result joyfully even if my team loses – if I have done my best – for I believe that the result is given by the Lord.
I have never thought about how I want to be remembered, but if I do, I only hope that when people think of me they will be able to think of God one more time, whether they are believers or not. That would be the biggest joy I could have as a football player.
I treasure God who lets me play soccer more than I treasure soccer itself.