Coins for 2010 World Cup Unveiled
By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
What always come out of a momentous World Cup or other sports event are commemorative coins designed by the host country and distributed worldwide prior to the staging of the event.
Embracing the FIFA 2010 World Cup tournament in South Africa, the first on African soil, new commemorative coins are to be released for sale starting June 8.
South African Ambassador Stefanus J. Schoeman, who has been fully engaged in promoting the 2010 World Cup, welcomed the kickoff of the sale of the commemorative coins.
``We are so happy to launch it now, because it's just one year from the kickoff, which is the 11th of June,'' the ambassador told reporters during a launching ceremony at his residence in Seoul. He denounced critics who threw discouraging comments on South Africa's capacity in hosting the event.
He encouraged people to buy the coins, noting the value of coins as investment
``This is also a good investment,'' the ambassador said. In fact, he is planning on buying five gold coins for each of his five grandchildren.
The ambassador wasn't alone in the promotion efforts. Brownyn Mullen, a South African TV celebrity here from the show ``Misuda,'' joined Schoeman at the coin launching ceremony, showing her support.
Mullen said she herself was engaged in production of South Africa-promoting shows in collaboration with a few broadcasting companies in Korea.
Commemorative coins for the World Cup and Olympic Games are known to be available for sale in general as early as four years prior to the event. But points of distribution abroad could vary according to the schedule of the distributor in each country.
Hwadong, a numismatic firm, is the main distributor in Korea.
It has been an exclusive distributor of the commemorative coins since 1983 when first appointed as the distributor for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.
Including the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, so far, Hwadong has distributed commemorative coins for 16 global sporting events in Korea, and will be the distributor for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics commemorative coins.
Coins are available in three kinds, two in gold and one in silver.
Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Suhyup Bank and post offices nationwide will receive reservations for coin sets from June 8 through June 19. Those who wish to purchase them individually should visit www.hwadong.com.