ONE of the joys of the international festival of football that is the World Cup, is that it brings with it tantalising glimpses into other lives on the other side of the planet.

And so this week, we've learned that 15 per cent of South Koreans are called Lee and 15 per cent are called Kim.

We've also learned that hotels and hospitals in Korea do not have a fourth floor because the word "fourth" sounds in the Korean tongue like "death" and so is considered unlucky - it certainly was for England's two No 4s, Steven Gerrard and Danny Murphy who've had to withdraw through injury.

Those lucky enough to be going to Korea for the tournament will also get a taste of the culture. In particular, they will get a taste of dog which, after beef and pork, is the third most popular meat. Koreans breed mongrels - "yellow dogs" - and slaughter them when they are about eight weeks old.

Representatives of the National Dog Meat Association will mingle among football fans trying to entice with a little poshintang (dog and vegetable soup), or a sliver of dog sausage or a splurge of dog ketchup in much the way that supermarkets in this country offer a morsel of their newest brand to shoppers in the aisles.

And while they're tempting their palates, they'll be offering the fans something for 'er on the other side of the world. Dog fats are also made into face creams and body oils.

MENTION of the word "ketchup" brings to mind a stunning fact about Sweden, England's opponents in their opening match on Sunday. The Swedes apparently spend more per head on ketchup (presumably tomato rather than dog) than any other nationality: £2.75 each a year.

AND while Lees and Kims may make up almost a third of the Korean population, Britain is far more diverse. Analysis of the 2000 electoral rolls showed there were 538,359 Smiths in this country - about two per cent of the population. The most common name for men was David Jones (15,763 in the country) and for women was Margaret Smith (7,640 in the country).

NUMISMATICS must have been delighted at Tuesday's news that the Bank of England was no longer issuing the new £5 notes because the serial number could be rubbed off. There was immediate speculation that collectors would pay up to £40 for a fiver.

However, David Monagle of the Corbett's auction house in Newcastle doesn't agree that, with a million of the notes already in circulation, there is money to be made from money. "My gut feeling is that they are unlikely to put on value," he says.

The last time newspapers invoked a hoarding frenzy among their readers was in 1976 when the Post Office issued a mouldy yellow 10p stamp that was so washed out it was impossible to read the value. Anyone who did stash away a sheet will be disappointed to learn that they are now worth just 45p each.

However, there is a light blue p stamp with one phosphor band on it (if you hold a stamp obliquely to a light you will be able to see the security bands on it) that is much sought after and worth a princely £30.