World Cup 2010: Do South Koreans Actually Care?

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: May 18, 2010

commentComment        

On Sunday night, the South Korean National Football team played an International Friendly against Ecuador here in Seoul. A sold-out crowd of 65,000 watched the home side defeat their opponents by a score of 2-0; a solid win in South Korea's first game of preparation for next month's World Cup.

However, even with World Cup signage plastered on every corner convenience store and shirts, hats, and World Cup flip flops being sold at every mega-store, there is still a major question: Do South Korean fans actually care about the World Cup?

The answer really is a very, very qualified yes.

Recently I had a chance to attend my first K-League football game in South Korea. The game pitted the hometown Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma against the visiting Chunnam Dragons.

In a game that saw some pretty decent football, and a 4-0 victory for the home team, there was hardly anyone at the stadium. I was shocked to find that this fairly modern stadium attracted maybe 1,000 fans on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in May. After all, the tickets were cheap, the football was good, and the World Cup is just around the corner. I felt for sure that a large crowd was to be expected.

Come to find out, K-League football games don't draw very well in South Korea. The big sport here is baseball, and it seems that people only have passing interest in football.

So, how can you explain a sold-out crowd for an International friendly, nearly every Manchester United game being broadcast on the Korean equivalent of ESPN, and one of the biggest national heroes being United player, and South Korean captain, Park Ji-Sung?

Easy, national pride.

Admittedly I haven't been in Korea for very long, coming up on three months to be exact. But, if there is one thing that I know for sure, Koreans love Korea. They are all about it.

And who can blame them. They have taken a country that was torn apart and practically...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football

Latest News


Comments

Comments are closed.

Sponsors

Bruins Tickets The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Red Wings Tickets The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League.

Penguins Tickets The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New York Rangers Tickets play their home games at Madison Square Garden, they are one of the oldest teams in the NHL, having joined in 1926 as an expansion franchise, and are part of the group of teams referred to as the Original Six.

San Jose Sharks Tickets The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States.

Toronto Maple Leafs Tickets The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

New Jersey Devils Tickets The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League.

Washington Capitals Tickets The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C.

Buffalo Sabres Tickets The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League. Get the Sabres and all of your NHL Tickets here.

NASCAR season is on of the most attended sports in the world. NASCAR Tickets to the best tracks is a must every year. Some of these tracks are: Talladega Tickets, Lowes Motor Speedway Tickets, Pocono Raceway Tickets, located in Ridgeway Virginia you have Martinsville Speedway Tickets and southern US you have two of the most popular Atlanta Motor Speedway Tickets and Texas Motor Speedway Tickets. Don't miss all the racing events this year!

Boston Red Sox Tickets The Boston Red Sox are a member of the Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Since 1912, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park. This is one of the hottest MLB Tickets sales of any team in the major league.

New York Yankees Tickets The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the borough of the Bronx, in New York City, New York and are a member of Major League Baseball's American League East Division. Get tickets to one of the hottest games of the season Yankees Red Sox Tickets.

Chicago Cubs Tickets The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League.

Phillies Tickets The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883.

Orioles Tickets The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Do you love wrestling? Get your WWE Tickets and WWE Survivor Series Tickets today!