Jo Hyun Jae

Now that South Korea is out of the FIFA World Cup, perhaps it’s a little late to write on this topic.  But my recent trip to Seoul for JHJ’s discharge brought me an unexpected bonus and an interesting experience.  L and I went with three of her Korean friends to a football match — South Korea vs Argentina on June 17.  We went to the Seoul World Cup Stadium (built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup – it can hold more than 68,000 people) and sat there watching the match on the big screen, along with thousands (stadium all full.)  200 such stadiums were opened to the public in Seoul (or was it all over Korea?) for this purpose during the whole World Cup month.

(Left) That’s my Reds T-shirt.  (Right) A family of 4 - the children wearing the little red horns, all lit up!  But the kids were fast asleep by 9:30 p.m.

We had to make preparations beforehand.  I was told I had to wear something red.  The Korean football team is called Red Devils.  I had nothing red, so I bought a 2010 World Cup T-shirt from a street vendor in Myeong-dong.  I almost got horns too but desisted at the last minute because it’s a little daft!  Those two little red horns that you wear like a headband are really cute – they can even light up!

We arrived at the stadium a little after 7:30 p.m.  The stadium was already more than half full.  A stage had been set up on the field and one famous Korean singer/group after another performed to a jubilant crowd, many of whom sat on the grass in front of the stage.  The singers had worked the crowd up to fever pitch when the match began promptly at 8:30 p.m.

(Left) The crowds on the field; it’s like attending a pop concert.  (Right) Pop group performing before match began.

It is not an exaggeration to say the whole country was behind the Korean football team (which, you may remember, reached the semi-finals in the 2002 World Cup.)  The completely full stadium was roaring every few minutes, and soon they reached a natural high.  They have a ritual, a sort of rhythmic chanting and clapping - it’s clap, clap…clap, clap, clap!  followed by a gesture – extending both arms forward with forefingers pointing and thumbs up (like a gun) – twice - shouting “Great country of Korea!”  Everybody got caught up in the fever – soon I was doing the same thing, and it’s a lot of fun!

Another ritual is — going to a football match is like going on a picnic.  The Korean girls brought with them two big shopping bags of fruit and snacks — at least 6 different kinds of fruit, all cleaned and diced (watermelon, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, cherries, grapes, pineapple….) and mouth-watering snacks like smoked squid, beef jerkies, chips, some kind of chewy cake…..what else did I eat?

We were so busy chanting and chewing that it was a shock when the first goal (by the Argentinians) went in at the 16th minute and another one at the 33rd minute.  But the mood was still optimistic, especially after Korea scored its first goal near the end of the first half.  The uproar was deafening!  The cheering was endless!  Everybody was so worked up! 

(Left) The cheering crowd.  (Right) The red dots are the little red horns.

They decided to leave at halftime (to avoid the crowds), but all the way to the metro they were watching the match on their cell phone, so we could see and hear everything.  We stopped a little in a park nearby, but when we saw the two more goals that Argentina scored in rapid succession at the 76th and 80th minutes (sealing Korea’s fate : 4-1), we decided to call it a night.  It was sad to see the sudden change in mood in our Korean friends.  They are a proud nation, and the Korean football team is their heroes.

I feel sorry for Korea being eliminated in the round of 16 by Uruguay, but that’s the nature of sports — you win some, you lose some.  I am glad to have had the chance to participate (if only for two short hours) in their time on the world stage.  It was an exciting and enchanting experience.

JHJ said he watched this match during his leave.  Did he watch it at home? or, like me, in one of the stadiums?  Watching it with nearly 70,000 Koreans is a totally different experience.  You share their ecstasy and their agony.  I was rooting for them the whole time, even though Argentina was clearly the stronger team.  If they end up as the eventual winner, then Korea has nothing to be ashamed about.  Korea, fighting!

(Credit: JHJ photo from EVERjohyunjae.co.kr – Thanks! Others are ours.)