Korean players to don Hangeul uniforms in football friendly vs. Brazil

This photo shows names of the men's national football team players written in the Korean alphabet of Hangeul. Courtesy of the Korea Football Association

Korean players will have their names written in Hangeul on their uniforms in an upcoming friendly match against Brazil in celebration of their language, the sport's national federation said Friday.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said the special shirts will be produced to mark Hangeul Day on Oct. 9. Korea will host Brazil at Seoul World Cup Stadium the next day.

Typically, players' names for all FIFA-sanctioned international matches must be written in English, but the KFA said it received special permission from the global body for this occasion and developed its own Hangeul font.

The KFA said it was in talks with the Brazil Football Confederation to have Brazilian players' names also done in Hangeul for the match.

"We hope this will be an opportunity to promote the value of Hangeul as our cultural heritage," the KFA said in a statement. "We are pleased to be able to show the beauty of Hangeul to the rest of the world through football."

Also as part of its Hangeul Day celebration, the KFA will offer special paper tickets as souvenirs for fans and produce a limited-edition keyboard themed on Hangeul and football.

Starting Saturday, Nike, the official uniform partner for the KFA, will sell 1,000 limited-edition national team shirts with the names of five players, including Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, available in Hangeul.