Osaka's Ikuno Ward is home to many Korean residents in Japan. One man born there, a second-generation Korean named Ko Byon Lyole, makes and sells kimchi and other Korean food products. He also uses a door-to-door delivery service to send his products all over Japan. kimchi is made by pickling vegetables like Chinese cabbage and daikon radish in salt, mixing them with red pepper, garlic and pieces of fruit, then letting them ferment naturally. kimchi is one of Korea's best-known foods, and is gaining acceptance in Japan.

Ko is a keen soccer fan. He enjoyed kicking the ball around, and played for 12 years, starting in junior high school. He still has fond memories of the time North Korea beat the formidable Italian team during the 8th FIFA World Cup in 1966.

"Ever since I was a kid I've wanted to go and see a World Cup match. I was hoping that Korea and Japan would co-host the games, and when it was announced that it would happen, it was like a dream come true. I'm going to try to develop new products for the World Cup and do my bit for the games as a member of the food industry."

Ko can hardly wait for the World Cup next year, when he hopes to fulfill a childhood dream while realizing his present-day ambitions.

When the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake hit the Kobe region in 1995, the city of Kobe suffered its worst disaster ever. One of the programs Kobe proposed after the earthquake was a project to develop the city around two themes, sports and well being. The Kobe Athlete Town Club was formed in 1998 as a non-profit organization to promote sports and fitness among the citizenry. The Club is composed of 100 regular members and 100 registered volunteers and has a busy agenda, holding and promoting sports events, and organizing sports-related volunteer groups.

The Club plans to promote its own activities for the World Cup, separate from volunteer projects sponsored by the Kobe Municipal Government and the JAWOC (Japan Organising Committee for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan). The Club has all kinds of ideas, such as urban beautification, forming groups to cheer for foreign teams playing in Kobe, and stimulating international contacts through music, food and culture. One Club official, Tsuboi Masaharu, is eager for the day the volunteers get the chance to help raise the level of excitement in Kobe. "We want to make it easier for spectators from other places to get to know Kobe residents. That will be one way we can show gratitude to people from all over the world who helped us after the earthquake."