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VERONICA PEDROSA, CNN Anchor: Hello again. The world’s biggest soccer tournament isn’t till next year but it’s generating high excitement. The World Cup finals to be held in South Korea and Japan are expected to draw in tens of thousands of fans. But, in the wake of the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington, organizers are shifting the focus of security measures to combat terrorism. Sohn Jie-ae reports from South Korea.

SOHN JIE-AE, Seoul Bureau Chief: With less than a year to go, South Koreans are getting excited about co-hosting the World Cup football final matches. At the same time, security officials are growing increasingly concerned about protecting this international sporting and media event from a possible terrorist attack.
Before the September 11 attacks in the United States, security measures for the World Cup focused on protecting the tournament from football hooligans. Police from both South Korea and Japan have held extensive exercises and agreed to cooperate. But with the terrorist attacks, the focus has definitely shifted.
Recent security drills simulate the attack on the World Trade Center, and the emergency measures that would be taken in such an event. During the World Cup finals, security is expected to be extremely tight in major buildings, airports, seaports, as well as the brand-new football stadiums that South Korea built for the occasion.
This football stadium, built in the middle of Seoul can hold more than 64,000 spectators as well as world dignitaries, and will receive international media attention. An attractive target for any possible terrorist, a fact that is not lost on security officials.

SECURITY OFFICIAL: We will establish a Special Facility Protection Squad in months before the matches start and tighten up security around the stadiums to prevent any dangerous materials from entering the stadium.

SOHN JIE-AE: Officials say the new measures are still a work in progress and they are watching the global war against terrorism closely to determine just what shape the final security plan will take. Sohn Jie-ae, CNN, Seoul.

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