S. Korean footballers receive 1.15 bln won World Cup bonus

SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korean footballers received a World Cup bonus despite suffering a group stage exit, the national football governing body said Tuesday.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said it gave out 1.15 billion won (US$1.02 million) to 23 players who participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Each player will equally get 50 million won for their performance at the top football tournament.

South Korea were eliminated in the group stage with one win and two losses. The Taeguk Warriors fell 1-0 to Sweden in their Group F opener and lost 2-1 to Mexico. They stunned defending champions Germany with a 2-0 win but couldn't advance to the round of 16.

The KFA said the national players would have received a different amount of bonuses according to their contributions if South Korea had reached the round of 16, but since they failed to accomplish the task, each player will get the same amount of money.

For coaching and supporting staff, including former boss Shin Tae-yong, the KFA said it gave out a total of 1.65 billion won in bonuses. It added that coaching staff will get bonuses according to their contracts with the KFA.

The KFA earlier gave out 2.4 billion won in bonuses to the men's national team after they qualified for the 2018 World Cup.

South Korea's attacking ace Son Heung-min previously received 80 million won for his contribution to the national team. With the latest payment, Son has now earned 130 million won from the KFA.

kdon@yna.co.kr
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