SEOUL, South Korea — Fearing a terrorist attack, South Korea will assign extra security to the United States team during its stay in the country for the World Cup finals.
All teams will have police motorcades and four plainclothes police officers traveling with them from arrival to departure, Shin Sung-chul, an official at the National Police Agency's World Cup security team, said Wednesday.
Besides the regular security, "the U.S. team will have eight more SWAT team members following them as it is considered a likely target for terrorists," Shin said.
Following the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States, security has become a major concern for the South Korean and Japanese co-hosts of the World Cup, which starts May 31.
The U.S. team plays its first-round matches in South Korea, which will mobilize 38,000 police officers during the event, and have anti-aircraft missiles, portable land-to-air rockets and fighter jets protecting the skies above stadiums.
Also Wednesday, the South Korean government said it has banned protest rallies within 1,000 yards of its 10 World Cup stadiums and within 600 yards of hotels accommodating soccer players.
The ban, which went into effect Tuesday, was the latest measure to safeguard the World Cup, said Chung Hee-chan, a Home Ministry official.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the nation's second largest labor group, said Wednesday that some 30,000 metal, chemical and other industry workers were striking for better working conditions. The Labor Ministry said 15,000 walked off their jobs.