SEOUL South Korea has hired former Dutch soccer coach Gus Hiddink with the target of getting the team to the last 16 in the 2002 World Cup finals, the Korea Football Association said on Friday.

"Gus Hiddink confirmed to us he would take the job we offered," said KFA General Manager Sam Ka, who arranged the deal.

Hiddink, also a former coach at Real Madrid, agreed terms in late November and a contract is currently being drawn up for him to sign, Ka said.

"We hope to sign the deal with him in Seoul and we told him so," he said.

South Korea is a co-host of the 2002 World Cup with Japan.

Hiddink would replace Huh Jung-Moo, who local media reported voluntarily quit to take responsibility for Korea's poor performance in recent international tournaments and the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

At Sydney, South Korea won only one preliminary match.

Hiddink, 54, led the Netherlands' national team to the semifinals of the 1998 World Cup in France, beating South Korea 5-to-0 in preliminaries on the way.

South Korea has advanced to the World Cup finals in successive competitions since 1986.

Ka declined to discuss details of Hiddink's compensation package except to say that bonuses were included for advancing the team to the round of 16 or higher in the next World Cup.

Under the terms of the contract, Hiddink would coach the Korean team for 18 months through June 30, 2002, when the 2002 World Cup ended. He would bring an assistant and a physical trainer to Seoul, Ka said.

(Reuter)