In 2002, South Korea made history as the first Asian side to reach the semi-finals of a World Cup. However, since then, they have only won two games at World Cups - albeit they managed to reach the round of 16 at the 2010 edition - and were disappointed in 2014 as they crashed out of their group after failing to win a single match.
This will be the Reds' tenth World Cup appearance and they will be hoping to finally overcome the group stage hurdle that has troubled them at all but two of their last tournaments.
Coach's mission
Shin Tae-yong will be certainly aware that it won't be easy to get out of their group. Reigning champions Germany are the natural favorites to top their quartet, but certainly both Mexico and Sweden will feel like sides that the Taegeuk Warriors could contend with. South Korea recently beat Honduras 2-0 in a friendly warm-up, which gave them a chance to test their mettle against a team from the CONCACAF region. They'll next face Bosnia to further fine-tune their tactics ahead of next month's tournament.
New recruits
Some of the newer players include Hellas Verona's Lee Seung-woo, who previously played for Barcelona's youth teams. Striker Hwang Hee-chan is another young player who will hope to have an impact after having a solid season with Red Bull Salzburg, who made a deep run in the Europa League.
Experienced faces
Ki Sung-yueng may not have been able to help prevent Swansea City from being relegated, but the 29-year-old, who serves as his national team's skipper, is a reliable presence in the middle of the park. He's set to achieve a century of caps this summer and will hope that the team can have a much better tournament than in 2014. Then there's of course Son Heung-min, who has netted 21 goals so far for the Taegeuk Warriors and who will be expected to spearhead the team's attack in Russia.
Notable absentees
Key midfielder Kwon Chang-hoon suffered an Achilles injury while on club duty for Dijon earlier this month that has effectively ruled out the 23-year-old for this upcoming competition.
Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka), Cho Hyeon-woo (Daegu FC)
Defenders: Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Jang Hyun-soo (Tokyo FC), Jung Seung-hyun (Sagan Tosu), Yun Yeong-seon (Seongnam FC), Oh Ban-suk (Jeju Utd), Kim Min-woo (Sangju Sangmu), Park Joo-ho (Ulsan Hyundai), Hong Chul (Sangju Sangmu), Go Yo-han (FC Seoul), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai)
Midfielders: Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea City), Jeong Woo-young (Vissel Kobe), Ju Se-jong (Asan Mugunghwa), Koo Ja-cheol (Augsburg), Lee Jae-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Lee Seung-woo (Hellas Verona), Moon Seon-min (Incheon Utd)
Forwards: Kim Shin-wook (Jeonbuk Hyundai), Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Red Bull Salzburg)
