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Korea, in ancient times, had a ball game called 'chuk-guk' very similar in form to contemporary football. However, Koreans first saw the present version of football in 1882 when British crew members played a game while their vessel was visiting the lnchon Port.
In 1921, the first All Korea Football Tournament was held. Following that the Korea Football Association was formed in 1928. This created a foundation to disseminate and develop football in Korea.
The Korea Football Association was reinstated in 1948, after the establishment of the Republic of Korea and in the same year, they a member of FIFA. It was also a year where the Korean national team made its international debut at the Olympic Games in London.
Since the 1960's Korea emerged as a major football power in Asia, winning several prestigious Asian football championships. The Korean national team played in the World Cup finals for 5 consecutive from 1986 and thus, ranked as one of the most successful Asian teams in terms of World Cup experiences.
The Korean professional football league was launched in 1983 with two professional teams (Hallelujah, Yukong) and three amateur teams(POSCO, Daewoo, Kookmin Bank) forming the nucleus of what is now the K- League. By 1987, five professional teams -- Daewoo, POSCO, Yukong, Hyundai and LG -- were involved in a professional-only league.
The K-league holds matches from March through November while the Cup tournament is held from March through May and the league matches for the championship is from June through November.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup is a sign of the rapid progress made in Korean football. Indeed, Korea's co-hosting of the event with Japan is the result of the Korean people's passion for and interest in football. The icing of it all was the performance of both the Korean national team as well as their fans. Who could forget the sea of Red Devils gathering around the Town Hall? Or the semi-final run of the team led by Hong Myung Bo?
Now Korean football stands at the starting line of a new era.
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