World Cup boosted economy, confidence: survey

Among the benefits of the 2002 World Cup, which ended June 30, are an improved local economy, a better reputation for Korea abroad, increased pride among the locals and changes in the political system, a survey said yesterday.
According to Hankook Research's survey of 542 Koreans during June 27-28 on the likely effects of the World Cup, 92 percent said that it will help boost the Korean economy, with 55 percent of the group predicting "drastic improvement."

Also, 88 percent of the respondents said that Korea's reputation in the international community was upgraded through the World Cup, as Korea became known as a successful host of the international event and a great football nation.

The games also seemed to have uplifted confidence. Seventy-five percent said, "I feel greater confidence that we can outperform an advanced nation," and 70 percent said, "I believe we can compete with the world's best in other fields as well."

Personally, 75 percent said they felt "strong pride" that they were Korean during the games, 45 percent said they felt greater personal confidence in general and 39 percent said their view of their personal future became brighter.

Sixty-nine percent believed their cheering contributed to the positive outcome of matches involving the Korean team.

Community-wise, 62 percent said that they felt like a global citizen during the World Cup, and 48 percent said they had greater interest in smaller countries like Turkey, who became a "friend nation" to Korea during the finals.

The vast majority (76 percent) of respondents also felt renewed confidence in Korea's capability and that its position in the world will continue, while only 19 percent said that it is temporary.

The World Cup also helped change the public's view about leadership, the respondents said.

On the most valuable lessons to be learned from national team coach Guus Hiddink's leadership, 35 percent said that "personal capability should be weighed the heaviest in professional fields"; 16 percent identified "understanding and leading the players"; 15 percent "consistency" and 15 percent "taking care of basics like principles and health."

Fifty-one percent of the respondents predicted that Korean politics will change after witnessing Hiddink's leadership, as local politicians attempt to "practice politics for the people."

Specifically, 16 percent said politics will change "dramatically" from this point on and 33 percent said it will change "somewhat."

Meanwhile, 38 percent said that the most impressive aspect of the World Cup was seeing millions of Koreans unified as the "Red Devil cheering squad," followed by memorable goals (27 percent), the national team's performance (20 percent) and the outcome of the finals (12 percent).

The survey noted that 90.0-93.3 percent of the survey respondents viewed the games, with 60 percent of them watching them at home and one out of three having gathered in support at least once in public settings. The crime rate fell 11.6 percent during the World Cup, it also said.