Young adults would either choose to join military full-time for 12 months or spend one weekend every month volunteering in their community over a year
The East Asian powerhouses, who reached the round of 16 at the World Cup, will meet regional rivals Japan in the last four on Tuesday as they bid to end a 51-year wait for success at the Asian showpiece.
Their form so far has been impressive, finishing second behind Australia in Group C after wins over Bahrain and India before edging a dangerous Iran side 1-0 after extra-time in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Equally striking has been the quality of their football — aggressive pressing high up the pitch coupled with rapid bursts of passing, intelligent movement and slick positional inter-play.
Much like Germany boss Joachim Loew at last year’s World Cup in South Africa, South Korea coach Cho Kwang-Rae is following a blueprint for success with youth and energy at its heart.
The average age of South Korea’s goalscorers at the competition to date is just 19.5.
Top scorer Koo Ja-Cheol, who has four goals, is 21, striker Ji Dong-Won, a replacement for injured Monaco hitman Park Chu-Young, is 19 and Hamburg foward Son Heung-Min, who netted against India, is 18.
The latest starlet to pitch in with a key goal was 20-year-old Yoon Bit-Garam, who scored a superb winner against Iran in the 15th minute of extra time after replacing the tiring Koo.
It is not just at the point of attack that the Taeguk Warriors are light in years either.
Classy holding midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng, who plays for Scottish giants Celtic, is 21 and flying winger Lee Chung-Yong of Bolton Wanderers is a year his senior.
“Korea has two big targets: win the Asian Cup and change the generation of players after the World Cup,” said Cho earlier in the competition.
“To achieve these two targets in the long-term and the short-term, I wanted to change our style of play.
“If we have enough time to improve these young players, the future will be bright for us.”
Cho can also call upon more experienced campaigners, such as 29-year-old captain Park Ji-Sung.
Barring injury, the Manchester United star will win his 100th international cap against Japan and Koo says the squad’s elder statesmen have had a steadying influence on the up-and-coming stars. “The senior players like Ji-Sung are supporting the younger players on and off the field, so they make the young boys much more comfortable when it comes to normal life and in the matches,” said Koo, who hopes to play in England or Spain one day.
“It’s a great help for the young generation when it comes to finding their place in the national team.”
Japan have also caught the eye with the quality of their play, moving Qatar coach Bruno Metsu to label them ‘the Barcelona of Asia’ after their 5-0 drubbing of Saudi Arabia in the group phase.
Their Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni saluted Cho’s work at the South Korean helm when he acknowledged the threat posed by Koo, Ki and the team’s other young tyros.
Young adults would either choose to join military full-time for 12 months or spend one weekend every month volunteering in their community over a year
The country's railway operator said it has cancelled trains to Georgia due to a landslide on the line
It was the third such strike on people on motorbikes in south Lebanon on Sunday
It was the first time the 26-year-old had stood on the Monaco podium in six attempts
Country’s tourism sector contributed Dh220 billion to the gross domestic product in 2023
The region’s DCM saw a 7.0 per cent increase to $940 billion by the end of Q1 2024
As the industry grows rapidly, founders urged to focus on social impact to create value beyond entertainment
A suspect was arrested, as per the local prefecture and a deputy mayor