December 1987 was a momentous month for South Korea – and not just on the rugby pitch.
Ten days after the match, at the Redruth Recreation Ground, the country held its first democratic presidential election in 16 years.
It started a process that saw the country remodel itself on a US-style democracy after years of Cold War isolationism.
Cho Sung-chul, South Korea’s full back for the match, said: “Obviously I was quite thrilled about going to the home of rugby.”
At the time, only a very limited number of South Koreans were permitted to travel overseas.
Mr Cho said the excitement of visiting England was “so overwhelming” that he struggled to sleep the night before the match, adding “that’s how excited I was”.
Mr Cho, who played for the national team for about 10 years, said, despite playing at the Hong Kong Sevens, the Cornwall match was one of the first times the team had played in Europe or against European players.
Despite losing the game 39-13, Mr Cho said it was “immensely beneficial for our team – personally I learnt a great deal from the experience”.
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