South Korea
Rank: 56 World Cup appearances: Best result: Top SCORERS (QUALIFYING) Chu-Young Park (6)
Did you know? It will be the third time the Koreans will meet Belgium at the World Cup after losing 2-0 in 1990 and drawing 1-1 in 1998.
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South Korea will be playing at their eighth consecutive World Cup finals in June but must improve on a dire qualification campaign to have any chance of escaping a tough group in Brazil.
Unlike fierce rivals Japan, they spluttered through qualifying and it ended with the departure of coach Choi Kang-hee amid concerns the team were heading for embarrassment in South America.
A 1-0 home defeat by Iran in the final match meant South Korea grabbed the last automatic berth on goal difference. Choi subsequently stepped aside and former skipper Hong Myung-bo took over.
Tasked with shoring up a suspect defence and sharpening a one-dimensional attack, Hong tinkered with personnel and formations and won once in his first seven games.
However, a stoic display in a 2-0 defeat by Brazil in October was followed by an impressive 3-1 win over Mali and a superb 2-1 victory over Switzerland.
As good as the result was against the Swiss, who went through their qualifying campaign unbeaten, the manner in which South Korea controlled possession and opened up their opponents at will suggested Hong had found the right formula.
While a return to the semi-finals, a feat they achieved in 2002 as co-hosts, is almost certainly beyond them, the Koreans stand a decent chance of reaching the knockout stages.
STRENGTH
Possessive football
South Korea are well schooled in keeping the ball and retain an excellent level of talent throughout the side, particularly in the attacking midfield position.
WEAKNESS
Inexperience
Most of the squad members are in and around in their 20s without the taste of football in a big stage. Thrown into the fiery football pits of Brazil, it will be hard for them to not get intimidated.
Unsure front and back
Unfortunately, they have failed to settle on a first-choice No. 9 so far and their goalkeeper, Jung Sung-ryong, is mistake-prone.
ONE TO WATCH
Son Heung-min
Son Heung-min could turn out to be South Korea's next soccer icon and, like his predecessor Park Ji-sung, has never played club football on home soil.
Son has yet to fully replicate his club form with the national team, but under new coach Hong Myung-bo he is imposing himself more and delivered his best performance in a Korean shirt in a 2-1 win over Switzerland in Seoul late last year.
Son's pace and trickery make him a handful for full-backs. He has also been used centrally behind the main striker in recent games and could form a dynamic partnership with towering target man Kim Shin-wook if Hong opts for two up front.
Part of a growing contingent of Koreans in German football, Son looks completely comfortable on the European stage and has rarely looked out of his depth with the national team since winning his first cap in 2010.
Coach: Hong Myung-bo
South Korean fans love to relive the glory days of 2002 when Guus Hiddink led them to the semifinals on home soil. In Hong Myung-bo, they not only have a manager who played under the Dutch master, but one who cut his coaching teeth by his side.
Hong, South Korea's most capped player, took over from Choi Kang-hee after the much-maligned manager stepped down following an uninspiring 2014 qualifying campaign in which the Koreans made it through by the skin of their teeth.
The most respected figure in Korean soccer after playing 136 times for his country, the 45-year-old Hong is idolised by the younger members of the squad.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Jung Sung-ryeong (Suwon Bluewings), Kim Seung-gyu (Ulsan Horang-i), Lee Bom-young (Busan I'Park)
Defenders: Park Joo-Ho (Mainz), Yun Suk-young (QPR), Kim Young-kwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Hwang Seok-ho (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Hong Jeong-ho (Augsburg), Kwak Tae-hwi (Al Hilal), Lee Yong (Ulsan Horang-i), Kim Chang-soo (Kashiwa Reysol)
Midfielders: Ki Seung-yeung (Sunderland), Ha Dae-sung (Beijing Guoan), Han Kook-young (Kashiwa Reysol), Park Jung-woo (Guangzhou R&F), Son Heung-min (Bayer Leverkusen), Kim Bo-kyoung (Cardiff City), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton Wanderers), Ji Dong-won (Augusburg)
Forwards: Koo Ja-cheol (Mainz), Lee Keun-ho (Sangju Sangmu), Park Chu-young (Arsenal), Kim Shin-wook (Ulsan Horang-i)
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