A Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) survey confirmed Tuesday Korea's hosting of the World Cup and the national team's success have upgraded Korea's recognition and image. KOTRA said it polled 14,157 general consumers in 72 countries from July 5-10, to analyze the effects of the 2002 World Cup which was held from May 31st to June 30th. As a result of the survey, the average grade for Korean national image stood at 78.4, up 1.2 points from a similar survey held in May before the 2002 World Cup had started. In almost all regions, the average grade for Korean national image inched up, except in China where the figure showed a 2.5-point fall. In Oceania the grade showed an upsurge but still remains the lowest among regions throughout the world. A majority (73 percent) of the surveyed said they knew more about Korea than "ordinarily" after the global soccer extravaganza, a rise of as much as 10 percentage points from the previous survey.