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Korean police prepare security

Police gear up for hooligans in this training exercise

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- South Korea's police chief is confident there will be no September 11-style attacks at the World Cup finals.

But he says security forces are ready to tackle anything from terrorism to hooligans.

In his first foreign media interview, Commissioner-General Lee Pal-ho told Reuters that about 420,000 South Korean officers would be deployed at 141 sites during the May 31-June 30 finals -- the world's biggest sporting event.

He said he had also held talks with Japan's police chief this month and hoped to set up a security hotline between the two co-hosts.

Lee said he had been stunned last September as he watched television coverage of hijack attacks on the United States in which more than 3,000 people died.

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"The security circumstances relating to the World Cup changed significantly after September 11," he said through an interpreter at the National Police Agency's Seoul headquarters.

"Terrorist attacks like 9/11 in the United States are the worst scenario for the World Cup, but that kind of terrorist attack will not happen in Korea."

He said his force and the South Korean armed forces would "exert all possible efforts" to thwart terrorism. Bodyguards would be assigned to players, officials and VIP guests.

"It's secret, so I can reveal just a little, but the Korean army, air force and navy are also preparing for security issues against terrorism." Hospitals and rescue centres also have emergency plans.

Lee said the U.S. squad and officials would be the number-one security priority. The United States play their three first-round matches in Group D in South Korea with the host country, Poland and Portugal. There are 37,000 U.S. troops based in the country.

"We focus on the nations which are possible targets for terrorism, including the United States, so the South Korean national police SWAT team and mobile protection unit will be deployed and will follow and protect them around the clock."

Up to April 24, 6,360 people had been placed on a list to bar them from entering South Korea because of suspected links to terrorism, the police agency said.

Before September 11, hooliganism had been seen as the biggest security threat and Lee said that remained a priority.

Korea has sent letters to all visiting countries asking for details of blacklisted fans. Lee said Britain had provided a list of 889 known hardcore hooligans.

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