After the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea Japan, China's love affair with Korea appears to be over with one young student, for example sending this correspondent the following e-mail: "Originally I liked Korea and Korean people, but finally found that all of that was a castle in the sky. How could the South Korean team supposed to reach the semi-finals without the help of referees?"

A Korean student at Beijing University's Foreign Language Department in Beijing, where Korean and Chinese students almost clashed, recalled with anger, "The Chinese students whom I believed to be my best friends so far, changed all at once to being hostile. I'm really sick and tired of the Chinese now."

Many Chinese students are sure that the referees at the World Cup showed favoritism to Korea. China studiers say the situation has resulted from three factors; Chinese soccer fans worship of Europe, state-media such as CCTV bad mouthing Team Korea and jealousy.

Most Chinese soccer fans watched the World Cup matches on CCTV and commentators emphasized the referees' mistakes provoking anti-South Korea sentiment among the young, who felt bitter after China was defeated.

Some say the commentators' attacks on Korea were closely related with World Cup lotteries in the country. Thousands of people across China who bought lottery tickets advised by the media's analysis, including CC TV's, lost money due to the unexpected run by Korea. The media defended themselves by pointing to referees' mistakes to avoid responsibility.

(Beijing Correspondent) July 6, 2002