Cornish and Korean rugby teams remember 1987 match

Cornwall's rugby team has a long and proud history, including more than 25 matches against international sides since first taking on New Zealand in 1905.

On 6 December 1987, Cornwall took on South Korea in a match that had a lasting impact on both teams.

Players from both sides that day have been speaking to BBC News.

December 1987 was a momentous month for South Korea - and not just on the rugby pitch.

Ten days after the match, at the Redruth Recreation Ground, the country held its first democratic presidential election in 16 years.

It started a process that saw the country remodel itself on a US-style democracy after years of Cold War isolationism.

Cho Sung-chul, South Korea's full back for the match, said: "Obviously I was quite thrilled about going to the home of rugby."

At the time, only a very limited number of South Koreans were permitted to travel overseas.

Mr Cho said the excitement of visiting England was "so overwhelming" that he struggled to sleep the night before the match, adding "that's how excited I was".

Mr Cho, who played for the national team for about 10 years, said, despite playing at the Hong Kong Sevens, the Cornwall match was one of the first times the team had played in Europe or against European players.

Despite losing the game 39-13, Mr Cho said it was "immensely beneficial for our team - personally I learnt a great deal from the experience".

Cornwall's inside centre, Grant Champion, who captained the side, remembered the South Koreans played a very different, more expansive, style of rugby than his teammates were used to.

"They relied more on broken play and improvised rugby than first phase, second phase running the ball," he said.

Mr Champion said South Korean rugby was in its "heyday" - the 1980s is considered a golden era for the side - so the Cornish team had low exceptions.

The Cornish side was transitioning into a "far better side" with a "strong pack", he said, and it was "the start of a golden patch for Cornwall Rugby, so we met them at the right time".

"It was always an honour, [but] to play against a national side and captain your county; well, it doesn't get much better down here," he said.

Former player and now Cornish Pirates media officer Phil Westren said the game was brought about by the vision of Cornishman and retired England captain John Kendall-Carpenter.

"We were really lucky to have a person like him who wanted to bring quality rugby, and different types of rugby, from different countries to Cornwall for the players to play against and the supporters to see - it was fantastic," he said.

South Korea hosted the Seoul Olympics in 1988 and even tried, unsuccessfully, to introduce rugby as an Olympic sport that year.

Choi Jae-sub, vice president of the South Korea Rugby Union, said the game still had less support than other sports but the legacy of their first European match resonated to this day.

"We still play well and try to enhance the performance level," he said.

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