Making their 11th straight appearance in soccer’s biggest tournament—going all the way back to 1986—South Korea have become regulars at FIFA World Cups. However, as fans tune in to the 2026 World Cup, they are confused as to why South Korea uses “KOR” as their acronym.
The abbreviation “KOR” is the standard three-letter country code used for the Republic of Korea by organizations such as the United Nations, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and the Olympics. In FIFA’s case, it’s no different.
That is why South Korea, ranked No. 25 in the FIFA Rankings entering the tournament, appear as “KOR” on banners, graphics, and broadcast presentations throughout the 2026 World Cup. South Korea uses “KOR” as its three-letter country code (Alpha-3). As for its two-letter code (Alpha-2), it uses “KR”.
South Korea is an unofficial name
Moreover, South Korea is not actually how the Tigers of Asia refer to their country. Because both South Korea and North Korea claim to represent the entire Korean Peninsula, neither includes the terms “South” or “North” in their official government names.
Son Heung Min of South Korea.
What is commonly known as South Korea is officially the Republic of Korea, which uses “KOR” as its three-letter code in international competitions such as the 2026 World Cup.
As for North Korea, its official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. North Korea last appeared at a FIFA World Cup in 2010, and when it did, it used the code “PRK”, an abbreviation derived from its official name. Because North and South Korea are unofficial names, there is no reference to such terms in both countries’ acronyms and international codes.
When was the last time South Korea played North Korea?
The last match between the national teams of North Korea and South Korea took place in October 2019. The two sides met in Pyongyang during the qualification campaign for the 2022 World Cup, with roughly 100 spectators in attendance. The match ended in a scoreless draw.
The return fixture was scheduled for June 2021, but North Korea withdrew from the qualifiers because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the national team was disqualified from the 2022 World Cup qualifying process.
Having also missed out on the 2026 World Cup, it has been more than 16 years since the Samba of East Asia performed on soccer’s biggest stage. Meanwhile, the Tigers of Asia have qualified for every World Cup since 1986.
