It's time, people. We've got ourselves a World Cup to watch.

The World Cup is the event in many parts of the world, where soccer (or football, or futbol) finds itself ranked among life's most important trappings - family, faith, food, and football. Korea's fanaticism might not be as ardent as that of other soccer-obsessed countries worldwide - but the World Cup does draw crowds of thousands dressed in red to watch the game on big screens installed in public squares around Seoul and brings out the hooligan in even the most formal of businessmen around the country (what would normally be a curt nod from a passing commuter suddenly turns to a "Dae Han Min Guk!" on game day.)

It also gives the pop industry something to sing and dance about for a month. In the run-up to this year's World Cup in Brazil, K-Pop fans can watch a Running Man special featuring VIXX's Leo and Korea's soccer superstar Park Ji Sung, a World Cup "Cheering Show" featuring performances and choreographed cheerleading routines from stars including Girl's Day, Block B, VIXX, and Crayon Pop, and a special called the Music Bank World Tour in Brazil, where artists such as SHINee, B.A.P., INFINITE, and CNBLUE treated a Brazilian crowd to a K-Pop show.

You're also probably going to be seeing plenty more Instagram posts like this one from 2NE1's Minzy over the next few weeks. K-Pop stars are eager to let their national team and fans know they're cheering on their boys, and we bet you are too. Even if you're not a huge soccer fan, KpopStarz has all the information you need to help you get caught up in the spirit of the World Cup and cheer on Korea.

National Anthem

First things first: no respectable sporting event begins without a rousing display of patriotism. Let Lena Park show you how it's done:

Team Nickname & History

Now on to the team itself. Officially named the Taeguk Warriors, the team is often affectionately called simply "The Reds."

This is Korea's eighth consecutive World Cup, and in the past, the team has proven it can compete on the international stage. In 2002, when South Korea was the proud host of the World Cup, the home team shocked soccer fans worldwide when made it to the semifinals. The World Cup bid had been awarded to Korea and Japan in an effort to help bolster soccer popularity, education, and infrastructure across Asia; Korea's unexpected performance did wonders to seal the deal. The Reds have made it to the knockout round in two of the last three World Cups, and took home a bronze medal from the 2012 London Olympics.

The team isn't generally known for big-name players like Ronaldo or for dazzling audiences with bombastic play. Instead, the team carries a similar reputation to the people of its country - incredibly focused, diligent, technical, and running like a well-oiled machine.

Cheering

It's not unusual to attend a sporting event in Korea only to find a shockingly large number of people perfectly performing a complex and highly choreographed cheer. Don't be intimidated, though - to cheer on the Reds, you really only need to know four syllables: DAE HAN MIN GUK! Translated, it's a formal way of saying Korea; in a bar on game day, it just boils down to "C'MON REDS!!!"

Jump to about 10 seconds in this video to hear the powerful cheer:

If you're in Korea, especially in Seoul, you won't have to walk far before finding a vendor that can sell you a Reds t-shirt or jersey and two inflatable clappers that create the unmistakable melody of an Asian sporting event. Bonus points to anyone that can find the clappers outside Korea and truly complete the Dae Han Min Guk cheer!

Who To Watch

This year's star power is 21-year-old Son Heung-min, the focused striker with the potential to be a breakout hero of this year's World Cup. The team needs a new object of affection now that Park Ji-Sung, the pride of the Reds and former Manchester United star, retired from international soccer.

Son is now Korea's player to watch. He's never played club in Korea, instead opting to play in German leagues, where he is earning a reputation as a smart, skilled, and versatile when it comes to scoring goals. In a World Cup qualifier against Qatar for Korea last year, Son came in at the 81st minute and scored the winning goal in the 96th.

The key to Son's success in these games might be getting out of his head and enjoying his time on the field. Korean players are known to be very structured and put loads of pressure on themselves, especially when playing on the international stage. In an interview with German news outlet Bundesliga, Son talks about how one of his German coaches helped him snap a goal-less streak by talking to him about relaxing a little - laughing and joking with teammates and having fun on the field rather than crumpling under pressure.

Take a look at some of his best moments:

Eyes on the Leader

Hong Myung-bo, the captain of the 2002 World Cup team and named on Pele's list of the greatest 125 living players, is back at the tournament - but this time he's coaching the Reds. He led the team to bronze at the 2012 Olympics, but this will be his first true test (and no doubt a pressure-filled one) to see if he has what it takes to lead a team from the sidelines.

Can They Do It?

This might be Korea's eighth consecutive trip to the World Cup, but the road to this one has been rockier than in the past and the team is up against some tough opponents for its first games.

The Reds are in Group H, along with Russia, Belgium, and Algeria. In the first round, these teams will all play each other, and the two top-scoring teams will move on to the knockout round.

First up is Russia, on June 17. The Reds will face a team managed Italian Fabio Capello, who has molded the Russian team into a strong and defensive group of footballers. With former Russian captain Andiry Arshavin dumped by Capello, the player to beat is Alan Dzagoev. He's known for his on-field antics, whether it's scoring an impressive number of goals or being handed a red card. Both teams will also have to battle what will likely be high temperatures and humidity during this game in Cuitaba.

Korea plays Belgium next, on June 22 in Rio de Janeiro. Belgium is chock-full of talent, with young stars like Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany taking the field for the team. It's the favorite to make it out of the knockout round and possibly further in the tournament, but the group hasn't qualified for a major tournament since 2002. Its opponents are hoping that inexperience could lead to sloppy play and an early exit.

Finally, the Reds face Algeria on June 26, back in Curitiba. The team has talent both young, experienced, and physical, from key players like Sofiane Feghouli and Madjid Bougherra. They've also proven that although they might not be the best on paper, they can play as a cohesive, tough unit against true competitors. Korea will need to be technical, quick, and creative in this one.

Throughout the first round, a solid midfield led by Koo Ja-cheul and Ki Sung-yeung could help the team's strikers attack, especially against slow defenses. There are a lot of ifs in this group - Belgium is ripe with talent but could be brought down by inexperience, Russia is solid but playing a new style under a coach eager to have success on an international stage, and Algeria isn't a favorite but has a flair for big upsets.

Earlier this week, the BBC aired a video showing Algerian star Sofiane Gehouli admitting that the Korean game will be tough, since the Reds know how to surprise in the World Cup. Here's a "Dae Han Min Guk!" in the hopes he's right.