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6.5 mln fans to hit S. Korean streets

South Koreans celebrate after their team wins to go to the semi-finals

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- More than 6.5 million South Korean soccer fans are expected to take to the streets to watch their team's World Cup semi-final against Germany on giant screens.

Police said they would deploy more than 40,000 officers and other personnel to control the crowds for the game on Tuesday.

Last Saturday, some five million red-clad South Korean fans flooded the country to watch their team beat Spain and become the first Asian team to reach the semi-finals in World Cup history. The match against Germany is being played in Seoul's soccer-only stadium.

"We guess more than 6.5 million people will gather to support our soccer team on Tuesday nationwide," a senior police officer said, adding that 5,000 more policemen would be on duty than for Saturday's quarter-final.

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"At the stadium alone, we will station 2,000 or 3,000 police officers," he said.

One of the striking features of this year's tournament has been the absence of violence linked to soccer hooliganism which has marred previous World Cups.

Pictures of orderly fans swiftly clearing the streets and gathering up litter after brief, albeit passionate, post-match celebrations in South Korea have predominated.

But police in co-hosts South Korea and Japan remain on high alert, particularly against September 11-style attacks.

South Korean authorities still have police in reserve and the military even has anti-aircraft missiles guarding the country's 10 World Cup stadiums.

Police estimate that 13 million people -- almost 30 percent of South Korea's population of 48 million -- took to the streets for the five World Cup matches the team has played.

Anti-aircraft missiles

The Defence Ministry said it planned to stick to its usual security programme, placing sniper squads and trucks with anti-biochemical gear at the Seoul stadium where the semi-final is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. (1130 GMT).

"Police, obviously, have to control the crowd, so they are putting on more police officers, but for our military side, this is just another game," a ministry official said. "You've seen our people, they even clean up after themselves.

"We are not planning any extra precautionary measures, unless police ask us specifically to help them," he added. "Missiles and snipers are always there."

About 100 people suffered minor injuries during street festivals on Saturday and three people died when a truck driven by a teenager hit a street lamp.

"We are worried about these incidents," the police officer said.

The Defence Ministry has said there were no signs South Korea's stadiums had been targeted by terrorist organisations during the tournament, which began on May 31 and ends with the final in the Japanese city of Yokohama on June 30.

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