SEOUL, South Korea — Co-host South Korea put on a spiritual show mixing ancient tradition and high tech as the 2002 World Cup officially opened Friday.

        Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and FIFA president Sepp Blatter gave speeches at Seoul's 64,000-seat World Cup stadium. The latter was jeered by some fans.

        South Korean President Kim Dae-jung declared the tournament officially open and fireworks flew from opposite sides of the roof to mark the ceremony's start.

        Around the globe, more than 500 million people watched on television as 2,300 performers, many dressed in traditional folk costumes, entered the stadium for a 40-minute display of creativity.

        Outside the stadium and across the capital city, 420,000 police and military personnel were involved in an enormous security operation. Helicopters and fighter jets scoured the skies, and anti-aircraft missiles have been deployed near stadiums with the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 in mind.

        A thick circle of yellow-clad dancers formed in the center of the field, then gave way to women in pale green dresses who performed a traditional Korean royal court dance.

        The zippier second stage saw futuristic silver dancers surrounded by creatures with TV sets for heads. Four high-tech drummers floated down from the roof onto stands decked with flashing lights and screens.

        The entire field was then swathed in white sheets, from below which rose a bell as high as a house. Screens on the bell showed scenes of suffering and poverty from around the world.

        An upbeat dance closed the ceremony as paper soccer balls dropped from the sky.

        Hundreds of fans in the south stands wore yellow T-shirts in support of Senegal, while the opposite end was a sea of blue-clad France supporters.

        Many fans have come from abroad to support their national teams playing in South Korea and Japan, while South Koreans also have organized groups to welcome and cheer for various squads.

        Injured French star Zinedine Zidane came out with the rest of the squad for a field inspection before the opening ceremony, prompting cries of “Allez les Bleus!” from the north stand. Zidane tore a thigh muscle on Sunday and is out for at least one game.

        Hundreds of security officers searched fans and journalists as they passed into the stadium, thoroughly inspecting all bags and even passing metal-detection devices over bulky books.

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