Pim Verbeek, a former assistant under Guus Hiddink in the 2002 World Cup, says he wants to take over the national soccer team.

In a phone interview with the Korea Times Tuesday, Verbeek said the Korea Football Association has not contacted him, but that he knows how Koreans think of soccer, most of the players and the country.

Verbeek is working as an assistant to fellow Dutchman Dick Advocaat, coach of the United Arab Emirates.

South Korean fans, remembering Verbeek's contribution to the 2002 semifinal run, pick him as a favorite to replace Jo Bonfrere, who resigned last week under heavy pressure.

After 2002, Verbeek followed Hiddink to PSV Eindhoven to coach the second team. In July 2003, he took over Kyoto Purple Sanga of Japan and later Netherlands Antilles for his first stint as a national team coach.

The KFA could also save a lot of money by hiring Verbeek, having spent large sums to attract high-profile coaches like Humberto Coelho and Bonfrere.