Football News - Tickets, Trains and Dogs again
World Cup Info Call Centres - Tokyo, Fukuoka
A tourist call center will be set up in Tokyo from 20 May-10
July (9am-9pm) to help visitors with language difficulties with hotels
and taxi drivers. The languages offered are Chinese, French, German, Korean,
Russian & Spanish.
The Tokyo government will also set up temporary tourist information centers
at Tokyo station, Haneda airport and at a number of hotels. Fukuoka in
Kyushu and the gateway to Korea will also implement a similar plan.
In Korea the authorities are planning to establish an IT network of ‘World
Cup Plazas' linking the 10 Korean venues and increase signage in
Chinese.
World Cup Security - South Korea
Police in South Korea have launched ‘Operation Safe
World Cup' with 24-hour patrols of World Cup stadiums and other facilities.
Eventually 35,000 officers will be involved.
There is an amnesty for people handing in to South Korean authorities
homemade bombs and other 'tools of destruction'; there is normally a fine
of more than $10,000 for the possession of such weapons in the Republic.
In Sapporo, Japanese police are intending to use guns that fire 5mx5m nets to snare any rioting England fans during their clash with Argentina on 7 June. 40 of the weapons have been ordered as a precaution against ‘big foreigners' according to a Sapporo police spokesman. Communications Director General for the Japanese Organizing Committee added that more policemen would be needed for England's matches than any other team taking part in the 2002 World Cup. Sapporo's finest have not yet been issued with tridents.
South Korea Spies on North's Players
South Korean soccer officials will watch North Korea's return to international football in a tournament in Singapore on 7 February with a view to attracting any talent to South Korea's World Cup squad. North Korea's women's team are the current Asian champions.
Changes to World Cup Tickets?
The Korean World Cup Organizing Committee (KOWOC) has denied
press reports that it has given the go-ahead for the private resale of
World Cup match tickets. KOWOC marketing chief Kim Yong Jip was quoted
as saying "It is impossible to prevent people selling tickets to
each other," and appeared to be giving approval for supporters to
enter games with valid ID even though their match ticket was in the name
of another person. KOWOC refutes these claims on its website.
In Japan JAWOC provided a form and telephone number on their website for
ticket-holders to change the names on tickets bought in the initial round
of sales. The whole process is hideously complicated and the details have
now been withdrawn from the site further confusing fans, who are left
with a message telling them tickets details cannot be changed when, in
fact, they can with a valid reason until February 15. Phone 03 3287 1199
for clarification.
Political and Promotional Developments
The World Cup has acted as a catalyst for Korea and Japan to sign an extradition treaty by the end of 2002. Japan has a similar agreement with only one other country – the US.
Japan and Korea named two sexy film stars to act as their goodwill ambassadors for the World Cup – Noriko Fujiwara, 30 and Kim Yun-Jin 28, who recently starred as a North Korean terrorist intent on blowing up Seoul stadium. The duo will appear at a variety of events to promote Korea-Japan friendship.
Kim Yun-Jin
Mistrust still remains between the co-hosts with the name of the sea that divides them also now an issue. In Japan the stretch of water is referred to as the ‘Sea of Japan'; in Korea the ‘East Sea'.
World Cup Prestige Tickets - 2002, 2006
A second round of sales of prestige tickets in Japan has commenced. There are 25 packages available including 5 gold packages with the most expensive priced at US$12,500 including the best seats for Japan's group games, the semifinals and final.
Training Camps
Russia has chosen Shimizu as its base for the World Cup
and will train in the city from 25 May-16 June.
Argentina looks likely to begin its preparations in Fukushima, Japan.
Costa Rica has chosen Songnam, a suburb of Seoul, as it prepares for Group
C.
Cameroon will train at Nakatsuemura in Oita prefecture, Kyushu.
Poland have chosen Daejeon, 120 km south of Seoul as their base for Group
D.
Mexico have seemingly jumped ship from Kuriyama, Hokkaido further south
to Fukui prefecture.
JAWOC
The pro-Seoul, Korean Residents' Union of Japan (Mindan)
has donated over US$480,000 to JAWOC in a gesture aimed at improving bi-lateral
relations. JAWOC is hoping to collect US$30 million in total from the
public but so far has garnered US$5.4m.
However, JAWOC can expect a US$27m windfall from international ticket
sales priced in US dollars due to the fall in the value of the yen.
8 out of 10 Japanese venue cities are forecast to lose money after the
World Cup as a result of high maintenance costs for their stadiums and
a lack of plans for their use post-tournament.
Traffic in Seoul
In a move to ease traffic congestion in the Seoul, the government said it would ban motorists in the capital from using their vehicles every other day. Under the plan, cars with even-numbered license plates will be prohibited from driving on even-numbered dates, and odd-numbered dates for odd numbers.
Late Trains and More Planes
Japan Railways (JR) is considering running Shinkansen ‘football
specials' past midnight due to the expected accommodation crunch
in venue cities such as Niigata and Shizuoka. It is the first time since
1970 that JR has extended its services, which normally run from 6am to
midnight.
The Japanese Transport Ministry will increase the number of daytime international
charter flights into Hanada airport to 10 flights a day. Night flights
will also increase from April. 7,000 people are expected to travel daily
from Japan to South Korea during the World Cup. The number of return flights
Narita – Incheon will also be increased to 135 a week.
Some Korean Air planes and buses will carry images of South Korean players
from February.
Smart Cards
An unprecedented dual currency (Yen/Won) smart card will be issued in time for the World Cup. The new prepaid card with a value of US$220-US$370 will be available to fans for use in airports, hotels, stations and World Cup retail stores in both host countries.
Dogs On The Menu In Korea
The issue of dog eating in Korea is still on the boil with protests by animal rightists outside the South Korean Embassy in London. The estimated 6,000 dog restaurants in Korea raise around 2 million canines for slaughter. An association of Seoul dog restaurants has started a promotional campaign employing an academic dubbed ‘Doctor Dogmeat' to popularize the practice among foreigners during the World Cup.