Located between the East China Sea and the Sea of ​​Japan, lies a country of growing social and economic prosperity, accompanied by a rich and thriving sports culture. This country is the Republic of Korea, more commonly known as South Korea. A nation starved by invasion and civil war, South Korea has become a global player, integrating and emerging itself into global culture. One cannot study the historical and cultural characteristics related to the sporting development of the Republic of Korea without first recognizing the tumultuous history of war, division and invasion throughout the 20th century. We also need to look at the distinct relationship between it and North Korea and how the two sporting cultures differ. North Korea, or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), operates independently of South Korea, the Republic of Korea. North Korea functions as a communist country, while South Korea functions as a democratic society. Currently, North Korea is acting according to the Juche policy. The Juche Policy became the official state ideology of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1972 (Lee, 2003, p. 105). In the words of Kim II Sung: “…To found Juche means, in a word, to be the master of revolution and reconstruction in one's own country. This means firmly sticking to an independent position, rejecting dependence on others, using one's own brain, believing in one's own strength, demonstrating a revolutionary spirit of self-reliance, and thus solving one's own problems through yourself. under his own responsibility in all circumstances…” (Lee, 2003, p. 105). Essentially, North Korea operates independently and, at the moment...... middle of paper ...... World Cup period, attracting more than 15 million visitors, including 800,000 tourists foreigners (Dho, 2006, p. 139). Considering this was the first FIFA World Cup ever held in Asia, the organization was virtually flawless; critics note the exceptional operation and design of the infrastructure (Dho, 2006, p. 140). Today, South Korea competes at the highest international level and continues to thrive and be a nation of great pride and competition. The problems of the past have been overcome and this is largely due to sport. Sports connect people and allow them to have mutual understanding instead of hostility caused by cultural differences (Kee Young, 2009, p. 50). Sports exchange has been recognized as an effective means of exchange regardless of political, linguistic and religious differences between nations (Kee Young, 2009, p. .46).