SEOUL, June 7: South Korea Friday unveiled the world’s tallest gold-bronze Buddha statue which it hopes will help ensure a successful World Cup football tournament.

The 33-meter (109-foot) high cast, which was erected 12 years ago as a bronze, has been coated with gold at Beopju-sa, a Buddhist temple 180 kilometers (111 miles) south of Seoul, after 18 months of work, temple officials said.

Korean World Cup Organising Committee said co-chairman Chung Mong-Joon and other leaders attended the statue dedication ceremony aimed at praying for the successful co-hosting of the World Cup finals, which began on May 31.

The month-long sports event for 32 nations is to run till June 30 both in South Korea and Japan.—AFP