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Dae Han Min Guk
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½ÂÀÎ 2010.06.24  17:49:39
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Like most foreign visitors I know who were in Korea at the time, I have fond memories of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. I was living in Seoul at the time and the atmosphere was electric, with the entire country firmly and loudly behind the Korean team. Friends and I had a standing booking for the same table at a favorite Italian restaurant overlooking the Itaewon main street, from which we had front row seats for the madness on the streets below.

Every street vendor seemed to have a small portable television at their stall and traffic came to a near standstill each time Korea played as crowds gathered around each set to support their team. Even the badly worded English cheers and T-shirt slogans – “Fighting Korea,” “Be the Reds” – seemed amusingly quaint and in keeping with the good-natured spirit of the cup. (That good nature turned to amazed incredulity when Korea reached the final four and though there was disappointment that the team got no farther, the country was proud of how far they’d gone.)

So, despite the fact that I don’t think much of soccer as a sport, there was no question about my support for Korea in the current World Cup. My problem was where to watch the games. I didn’t expect the atmosphere of 2002, when Korea co-hosted the cup with Japan, but I did expect at least a small taste of that fervor.

The first game I decided to watch at a friend’s home as I have no television at mine. As I said, I’m not particularly a fan of soccer, so that choice may have been a mistake. I was suitably excited when Lee Jung-Soo scored the first goal less than 10 minutes into the match, considering it a good omen for Korea’s first game in the cup. By the second half, whether because the Greek team hardly seemed to be playing or because a cheer squad of two seemed too small (one and a bit really as I wasn’t contributing much), I’d picked up a book and just glanced at the screen for replays when anything exciting happened.

What amazed me though, was how silent Shin Jeju was even after Korea firmly trounced Greece 2-0. I expected car horns to blare and cries of “Dae Han Min Guk” from every street corner but even the bar below my friend’s apartment remained silent.

So for Korea v Argentina I went to the stadium in Jeju to join a sea of red-clad supporters and experience a little more of the sporting atmosphere. The crowd was positive, despite how huge the Argentinean players looked against the Koreans, and a goal for Korea going into half-time caused the arena to erupt. Unfortunately that was the team’s brightest spot as Argentina easily outclassed and outplayed them. What I found a little disappointing though was how many of those present left before the end of the game when it was clear Korea wasn’t going to recover and win. Isn’t a true supporter one who cheers for their team win or lose?

At the time of writing this Korea has next to face Nigeria, although the game will have been played before our publication date. I can only wish my temporarily adopted team the best – “Fighting Korea!”






¨Ï Jeju Weekly 2009 (http://www.jejuweekly.com)
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