New stadium's first game will be first sell-out

The World Cup stadium in Seogwipo on the resort island of Jeju will open Sunday, with a friendly match between the national teams of Korea and the United States.

The soccer-only stadium can accommodate 42,256 spectators. Mount Halla rises 2000 meters above the stadium, which sits near the South Sea.

The stadium cost Korea 112.5 billion won ($88.6 million) to build. Half of the seats are under a roof that resembles a net flung from a fishing boat. The stadium's pitch is 117 meters by 78 meters. Brazil and China will play the first official World Cup match at Seogwipo, on June 8. On June 12, Slovenia will face Paraguay in the tournament. On June 15, a second-round game will take place in the stadium, the last World Cup match to be played there.

All tickets for Sunday's game were gone three days after they went on sale.

A ceremony to mark the stadium's opening will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday. The match will be preceded by military band performances, traditional Jeju Island entertainers and choruses between 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Entertainment by pop singers and fireworks displays will follow the game.

For more information, call the Seogwipo city government's external relations division at (064) 735-3327 or the Seogwipo World Cup planning board at (064) 739-2002. English-speaking staff members are available for questions.

From Jeju International Airport, a shuttle bus service is available every 15 minutes between 6:20 a.m. and 10 p.m. It takes an hour to travel the 45 kilometers between the airport and the stadium.

by Park Sung-woo