World Cup organizers remain confident over ticket sales
World Cup organizers remain confident over ticket sales
SEOUL (AFP): South Korean World Cup organizers sought Tuesday to play down fears that the international terrorism crisis would hit attendance at next year's finals.
Although a security review has been ordered, Korean World Cup Organizing Committee (CAKE) co-chairman Chung Mong-Joon would not be drawn on whether the US terror attacks had slowed ticket sales.
But he indicated organizers were not worried.
"In general, demand is 10 times higher than supply for tickets," Chung told a briefing for foreign reporters when asked about the threat. "Terrorist attacks should have no impact on our lives."
KOWOC and South Korean security authorities have already ordered an anti-terrorism review which will include extra security forces, heightened surveillance of people entering the country and a no-fly zone over stadiums.
President Kim Dae-Jung reaffirmed again Tuesday that the country had to be ready to confront any terrorist threat to the World Cup and the Asian Games, which will also be held in South Korea next year.
There are just over three million tickets for the World Cup matches which will be played in South Korea and Japan from May 31 next year.
South Korea is selling its final 300,000 tickets for matches in the country now.
Chung reaffirmed KOWOC estimates that 400,000 people would visit South Korea for the finals. "This is the largest event in the history of Korea in terms of impact. We want to show the new image of Korea that it is politically and economically different."
Despite his confidence, Chung will go to Europe next week to help with a World Cup promotion campaign. The KOWOC co-chairman will give a speech and give interviews in Paris on Oct. 5.
The Korean authorities are sending three groups of musicians to Rome, Madrid, the German city of Cologne and Paris to promote the tournament for which South Korea has spent US$2 billion on 10 new stadiums.
According to latest figures, the World Cup will also be the most popular television sports event ever.
Chung said there were 19.6 billion television viewers for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. "For the 1998 World Cup in France there were 37 billion viewers and we expect 42 billion next year and if China qualifies 60 billion."