Lee praises footballers for World Cup run

By Kim Young-jin

Staff Reporter

President Lee Myung-bak commended the South Korean football team Saturday for their performance at the World Cup, despite the 2-1 loss to Uruguay that knocked them out of the tournament.

Lee, in Toronto to attend a G-20 summit, watched the game on television over lunch and received updates from his aides before meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the event.

"Although they were defeated, they fought well," Lee was quoted as saying by Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye. "I send a message of encouragement to our spirited players who did their best to the end."

World Cup fever was apparently widespread among leaders at the summit.

Obama reportedly slipped into a side room following his meeting with Lee to check on the U.S. side, which eventually lost to Ghana, calling the game "nerve-wracking."

Other heads of state, including Russia's Dmitry Medvedev, were spotted taking a break from diplomacy to catch some of the action from South Africa.

Lee paid keen attention to the South Korean squad's dark-horse run at the title and sent a congratulatory remark after the Taeguk Warriors advanced to the knockout round.