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SEOUL, Tuesday (AFP) - Germany reached the World Cup final for the first time since 1990 when a Michael Ballack goal ended the astonishing run of co-hosts South Korea in the semi-final here on Tuesday.

In a bitter twist, Ballack will miss the final in Yokohama, Japan, on Sunday after receiving a yellow card for tripping Lee Chun-Soo to earn him a one-match suspension.

The goal was a result of Germany's growing dominance of the match in the second half and they deservedly earned the right to meet Brazil or Turkey in the final as they seek a fourth world title.

With a quarter of an hour left to play, Oliver Neuville ran down the right wing and, despite the attention of a handful of defenders, managed to send over a low cross.

Ballack met it with a right-footed shot that South Korean goalkeeper Lee Woon-Jae parried but Ballack was perfectly placed to hit home the rebound with his left foot, silencing the 65,000 home crowd at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Within minutes, Neuville was booked for diving but he will be eligible for the final after having a yellow card awarded in the quarter-final against the United States cancelled by FIFA earlier on Tuesday.

South Korea had few second-half chances and when Park Ji-Sung hit a shot well wide of the German goal in injury time, their last chance had gone.

Lee Woon-Jae, whose penalty saves kept South Korea in the quarter-final win against Spain, made amends for his poor clearance that led to the goal when he dived athletically to save Marco Bode's powerful free-kick as the Germans threatened to score again.

Until Ballack unlocked the match, the Germans' most common approach, as it has been thoughout the finals, was a high cross towards target man Miroslav Klose, the tournament's joint leading scorer.

Ballack's lob to Klose had earlier produced a weak header that was collected by Lee Woon-Jae but Klose, the tournament's joint leading scorer, was substituted for the experienced Oliver Bierhoff.

South Korea had threatened on the counter-attack such as when a crucial tackle from Torsten Frings halted Cha Du-Ri as he sprinted through the middle on a second-half breakaway.

With almost an hour gone, Korea brought on pinup boy Ahn Jung-Hwan for veteran striker Hwang Sun-Hong but Ahn's pace seemed dulled by an ankle injury and he could do nothing to save his team.

Korea had the best shot of the first half when Cha Du-Ri's pass to the right found Lee Chun-Soo who drove a first-time shot that German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn had to be at full stretch to save.

Germany were playing in their tenth World Cup semi-final while South Korea were in their first and the prize at stake was the right to meet Brazil or Turkey in the final in Yokohama, Japan, on Sunday.

In a non-stop opening to the game, German defender Carsten Ramelow drove a shot straight at Lee Woon-Jae in the first minute.

German pressure began to show on the quarter hour when the ball fell well for Neuville but Lee Woon-Jae was equal to his low shot.

Neuville was put through in the 29th minute as he burst into the middle of the box but Choi Jin-Cheul pushed him wider and wider and eventually stripped the ball from him.

German playmaker Ballack began to exert his influence as the half wore on, and sent in one cross that worried the Korean defence.

Germany began to use their height advantage, Torsten Frings' cross being headed back into the six-yard box by Marco Bode but the ball was cleared.

Then Miroslav Klose turned sharply for a shot that rebounded off a defender and a cross was missed by Ballack and two team-mates and the ball bobbled around the box dangerously but no German attacker was there to poke it home.

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