'What a load of rubbish' as Koreans celebrate

SEOUL, June 15 (Reuters) World Cup soccer fever has turned South Korea into a nation of litterbugs, newspapers said today.

Over a million fans watched the national team beat Togo 2-1 on giant outdoor screens on Tuesday night, but they left behind a mountain of garbage as they celebrated the victory.

There were massive street celebrations in 2002 when South Korean fans watched their side advance all the way to the semi-finals, but local dailies said the crowds then cleaned up after themselves as a matter of national pride as they were co-hosts.

''The country impressed the entire world during the 2002 World Cup by clearing trash in the stadiums and plazas,'' the daily Chosun Ilbo wrote in an editorial.

''Nothing of the sort could be witnessed on Wednesday.'' According to the local daily JoongAng Ilbo, garbage men collected 100 tonnes of trash from downtown Seoul, working frantically to clean streets before workers returned to offices.

REUTERS PM VC0910