It is interesting to note that the Taeguk Warriors, despite their inconsistent performances over the years, have qualified for every FIFA World Cup finals since 1986. They suffered an early exit in the 1996 Asian Cup following a notorious 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Iran, but they then emerged a different team only one year later in their qualifying campaign for 1998 France, booking an early berth after a string of convincing displays. They disappointed again in the 2000 Asian Cup with a third place finish, but under legendary Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, they made history in the 2002 FIFA World Cup with a milestone semi-final finish.

Now the baton has passed to new boss Jo Bonfrere, who kicked off his team?s run for 2006 Germany with a perfect start after they had bowed out of last year?s Asian Cup following a 4-3 defeat to Team Melli. The team had been winless in their latest four warms-up.

?The team slumped after 2002 but now we are back on track,? coach Bonfrere told FIFAworldcup.com.

His words were proved by the 2-0 win, where the Taeguk Warriors looked a better side than their opponents in every aspect. Lee Dong-Gook, stepping in for the injured 2002 World Cup hero Ahn Jung-Hwan, steered his team to the win after a blistering opening goal in the 24th minute. The 2000 Asian Cup top scorer was left out of the 2002 World Cup squad but he proved his worth to new boss Bonfrere in the Asian Cup clash with Iran, where he scored twice.

?Lee Dong-Gook?s volley was wonderful. I am very happy as we took all three points,? said an obviously joyful Bonfrere.

PSV Eindhoven?s Lee Young-Pyo deepened Kuwait?s woes with nine minutes remaining, doubling his team?s lead.

Before the match, the team?s relatively weak defensive line was causing Bonfrere concern, particularly against a Kuwait team famous for lightning-fast counter-attacks. But the home team played with a water-tight defence throughout the 90 minutes while Kuwait were limited to a few shots on goal. ?The team worked very well and they will improve game after game,? Bonfrere added.

Korea Republic will travel to Saudi Arabia on March 25 for their second qualifier. How hard will it be? Will the Taeguk Warriors extended their aura of invincibility in FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns? Time will tell.