The Korea Republic national football team represents the Republic of Korea in international football competitions. The team, also known as South Korea, is recognized as Korea Republic by FIFA. It is often considered Asia's most successful national team, since it made its debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Being a two-time straight AFC Asian Cup champion, South Korea has participated in seven World Cup final tournaments and became the first and only Asian team to reach the semi-finals, doing so when it co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with Japan. It recently qualified for its eighth World Cup final tournament, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. It is the only Asian team to have qualified for the World Cup for seven times consecutively and currently holds the best FIFA World Cup record in Asia. They were the only unbeaten team during the AFC Qualification for the 2010 World Cup, and qualified with ease.