Anti-aircraft missiles will be deployed at South Korean stadiums in the World Cup finals and fighter jets will patrol over the football matches, military authorities said today.
The use of French-made Mistral missiles is to prevent "airborne terrorism" such as September 11th-style attacks on stadiums by hijacked jets, a spokesman said.
South Korea and Japan, co-hosts of the tournament that runs from May 31st to June 30th, have decided to impose strict security for the World Cup after the attacks in New York and Washington last year.
"We will set up a Mistral base inside the stadiums," the spokesman said, declining to say how many missiles will be deployed in the 10 Korean World Cup venues.
The air force has also worked out other security steps including surveillance flights by fighters over the stadiums, he said.
The United States will be one of the 32 teams taking part, playing its first round matches in South Korea, which has ordered no-fly zones over all 10 stadiums and thousands of special forces to be deployed in and around the cities.
A team of biological and chemical warfare experts from the United States will be in South Korea for the tournament.
Some 35,000 security personnel will be on World Cup duty, with players and top international football officials getting individual bodyguards.
AFP