Having achieved its aim of making the second round of the World Cup, South Korea is reassessing its ambitions for the remainder of the tournament.

A place in the second round of the World Cup had long been a national obsession. South Korea reached that stage as co-hosts in 2002, but it had never happened in six previous attempts overseas.

The lucky seventh came thanks to a draw with Nigeria on Tuesday, which secured second place in Group B.

Star midfielder Park Ji-Sung said the team had already achieved its tournament ambitions.

"I'm not sure what our new goal is but we'll just try to win the next match," Park said on SBS television. "It really is fantastic to write a new chapter in the history of Korean football."

For months, any overseas player returning home was greeted at the airport with demands for a prediction of South Korea's chances of reaching the last 16.

Lee Young-pyo put the probability at 40 per cent, while others such as Lee Woon-jae wanted to go beyond, but all stressed the importance of surviving the first cut.

After defeating Greece 2-0 in the opening match and losing 4-1 to Argentina in the following game, a draw against Nigeria was always likely to be enough to finish behind Argentina, but it was a nervous finish.

South Korea fell behind to an early goal, equalised through Lee Jung-soo and then took the lead with a Park Chu-young free kick. A penalty for Nigeria midway through the second half ensured a nail-biting finale, as Nigeria spurned some easy chances.

When I committed the foul and the penalty was awarded, all kinds of thoughts went through my mind," said veteran midfielder Kim Nam-il. "When the final whistle went my legs started shaking. I feel happier about this than in 2002 when we reached the semifinal."

Despite the 3:30am local start time, the scenes in Seoul were also similar to eight years ago. An estimated 500,000 fans took to the streets to watch the match on giant television screens.

President Lee Myung-bak also tuned in and sent a message of congratulation.

"We are so proud of you," said Lee. "I rejoice with the people and congratulate you on advancing into the round of 16 for the first time at an away World Cup."

South Korea's opponent in the round of 16 will be Uruguay, with the winner going into a quarter-final against either Ghana or the United States.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP