2000 Things to Do

THE SCORE: The 2002 World Cup has already scored three goals: it will be the inaugural world soccer championship of the new millennium, the first to be held in Asia and the first to be jointly organized by two countries--and former enemies at that. Between them, hosts South Korea and Japan expect to attract 4 million footie fans. Soccer-mad Korea, which started playing an early form of the game, called chook koo, more than 1,500 years ago, is particularly pumped. It has designated 2001 as "Visit Korea Year" as a lead-up to the tournament, and is building 10 stadiums plus additional hotels to accommodate visitors. The government is also eliminating the current 10% value-added tax, or VAT, on hotel stays during 2001 and 2002. Although the new Inchon International Airport, located 29 km from Kimpo Airport, isn't slated for completion until 2020, the first of its four phases will be open in time to welcome fans flying to Seoul for the games. For more pre-2002 World Cup facts, check out Korea's official website at www.2002worldcupkorea.org.

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