SEOUL, Dec 14: South Korea will impose a designated no-fly zone and increase security around players at next year’s World Cup, local organisers told diplomats on Friday.

Representatives from 24 nations, including the United States and Britain, were briefed on enhanced security measures for the tournament following the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

The World Cup Security Control Headquarters (WSCH) in Seoul said they included “combating threats from the air by designating a no-fly zone, more restrictive procedures to gain access to a venue, and higher levels of close protection for players.”

But security officials added in a statement that they would take care not to obscure the main point of the sporting event, hosted jointly by South Korea and Japan.

“In the meantime, we (must) make sure that tightened security does not dampen the festive atmosphere of the tournament,” it said.

“Volunteer groups will make up much of the visible security.”

FIFA General Secretary Michel Zen-Ruffinen has said that the finals will be the safest ever staged with the governments of both host nations promising the highest level of security possible.

Both have staged Olympic Games in the recent past — Seoul hosted the Summer Games of 1988 and Japan the Winter Games of 1998 in Nagano.

Squads of militia have been in special training camps for much of the last year in both countries.—Reuters