South Korea will host the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2017, announced the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on December 5. FIFA made the announcement after a vote during its Executive Committee meeting in Costa Do Sauipe, Brazil.
 
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Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Chong (center) is interviewed after FIFA’s announcement of Korea’s winning bid to host the U-20 World Cup 2017. (Photo: Yonhap News)
 
 
This will be the second FIFA event hosted by Seoul. The country co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Japan. The FIFA U-20 World Cup is where promising young football players aged under 20 from around the globe compete. Some well-known players who received international recognition such as the Golden Ball or top prizes of past U-20 events include Argentina’s Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Adriano Correia. Both Messi and Correia currently play for Spain-based FC Barcelona, one of the most prestigious football clubs in the world. For this reason, U-20 events attract not only football fans but also recruiters from world-leading football clubs looking for rookies for their teams.
 
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A delegation of Korean representatives pose for photos after FIFA’s announcement of Korea’s hosting of the U-20 World Cup 2017 at FIFA’s Executive Committee meeting in Costa Do Sauipe, Brazil, on December 5. These representatives include Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Chong (sixth from left), Korean national football team coach Hong Myung-bo and President Chung Mong-gyu of the Korea Football Association (seventh from left). (Photo: Yonhap News)
 
 
“We will use our know-how and experience earned through hosting the 2002 FIFA World Cup strive to make the 2017 U-20 World Cup a success,” said Vice Culture Minister Kim Chong who led the Korean delegation to bid for Korea’s hosting of the event. He added that the event will have the cooperation of related government ministries and the Korea Football Association.

South Korea has so far competed in a total of 13 U-20 World Cup events, as of this year’s U-20 held in Turkey, ever since its first participation in 1979 U-20 events held in Japan. Both North and South Korea took part in the 1991 U-20 event held in Portugal as one united team. South Korea ranked eighth in the 2009 U-20 held in Egypt and this year’s U-20 held in Turkey. 
 
 
[Source: Korea.net]