South Korea's national soccer team defeated Kuwait 2-0 in the first match of final preliminaries for the 2006 World Cup Germany finals, held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Wednesday.

The win places South Korea atop Group A, which also includes Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan.

South Korea's Lee Dong-gook scored the first goal in the 24th minute, firing in a volley shot that deflected off the right goal post into the net

About 35 minutes into the second half, Lee Young-pyo flicked in a second goal off a pass from Park Ji-sung, barely avoiding the hands of the Kuwaiti goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, in a match held in Tokyo, Japan also defeated North Korea 2-1.