A love letter to Korea ??? ? ??

  • ?? 2002? 6? 28? 15? 26?


SEOUL -- Well, that settles it. From here on out, you can call me an honorary Korean-American. This is my 32nd straight day in this country, and it's still providing no end of amazements. Not just on the soccer field, either -- though South Korea's miraculous run to Tuesday's semifinal against Germany is an irresistible story -- but in everyday life.

Today, for example, I was waiting in the rain at a crosswalk here. Suddenly a middle-aged Korean man walked over, smiled and held his umbrella above my head. Last week a colleague told me a story about how she had collapsed into a subway seat one night after a game. Exhausted, she closed her eyes, only to feel a sensation on her right shoulder. The elderly Korean woman sitting next to her was giving her a massage. After that, she softly sang a lullaby in her ear.

Understand, back in December I was disappointed when I learned the U.S. team would be based in this country instead of in Japan. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was the food. Maybe Seoul somehow seemed less intriguing than Tokyo. Maybe I was just a little ignorant.

The fact is, I couldn't have been more wrong -- or more lucky. I always tell my Argentine friends that I wish I had been there in 1978 when the streets filled with joy after the home side won the World Cup. Before this year's tournament, I felt a loss knowing that I wouldn't experience the festive atmosphere that reigned in France when Les Bleus hoisted the Cup four years ago.

Wrong again. While taking the night off from work last Tuesday, I caught the South Korea-Italy match with an SI editor (and fellow soccer nut) at The 3 Alleys pub in Itaewon, Seoul's Yank-friendly entertainment district. The place was full. Half of the denizens were Koreans, and half were Anglos rooting for Korea. When Ahn Jung-Hwan's overtime header sent the Italians packing, this city erupted. Streets filled. Fireworks lit up the night. At Gecko's tavern afterward, Koreans and non-Koreans alike danced on chairs to the music of Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi. It was even more memorable than the night on the Champs-Elysées when I waded through two million victorious Gauls -- and this was after a second-round win.

(I'm still bitter that I was on deadline for the magazine this past weekend and missed the festivities after South Korea eliminated Spain in the quarters. Must have been off the hook again.)

I'm leaving the peninsula in two days, and you know what? If South Korea makes the World Cup final, I'll be watching the game at a stadium in Japan, wishing all the while that I were back in Seoul with the most fervent, good-hearted fans you'll ever see. Who knows? It may be Argentina '78 all over again.

What do I love about Korea? I love ...

... the way sweat starts beading on my scalp the second I swallow a bite of kimchi (which tastes way better than you'd think).

... the style of the South Korean team. Not only are they relentless, but they're also skilled and tough, and they know how to come back. (Ask the U.S. and Italy.) Have they gotten some breaks from the referees? Maybe, but guess what that's called? Home-field advantage, folks. The Koreans deserve to be in the semis, and all the whining Europeans should sit down and shut up.

(Does anyone think Duke doesn't deserve to win so much just because the Blue Devils get a lot of calls? No. I rest my case.)

... the soccer commentators for Korea's SBS network, who turn a game, any game, into high theater. In Korean, ne (sounds like nay) means yes. This still confuses the heck out of me, but it leads to a hilarious description of the action that goes like this:

Commentator 1: Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.

Commentator 2: NAY!

Commentator 1: Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.

Commentator 2: NAY!

Commentator 1: Blah-blah-blah-blah-blah.

Commentator 2: NAY!

And so on. The SBS guys groan whenever a player, whatever his nationality, screws up, and scream over each other when the South Koreans score a goal. They even started to cry on the air after their quarterfinal victory. It's blatant homerism, of course, and yet here it's somehow endearing.

... how the masses of Koreans watching games in public squares pick up their own litter afterwards.

... the Korean fans' BE THE REDS T-shirts and KOREA TEAM FIGHTING scarves. (And while we're at it, the USA TEAM FIGHTING T-shirts I saw on Yank fans.)

... Ahn's speed-skating celebration following his goal against the U.S. (Wait: Sorry, that was bush league, pal. A question to ponder: What if Clint Mathis had done the same after his goal?)

... how the Korean organizers stocked the media center with fluorescent "happy lights" and free sports massages. (Let's just say this didn't happen in France.)

... Park Ji-Sung. The guy whose jaw-dropping goal against Portugal opened the door for the U.S. to reach the second round should have his own little spot at the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame. Most Korean fans have Ahn Jung-Hwan on the backs of their jerseys. (He's their pinup version of David Beckham.) Me, I'm going to get a Park Ji-Sung shirt.

... the scene outside my hotel. Since the South Korean team moved in the other day, masses of fans and media have been gathering outside around the clock. As I carried my bag full of dirty laundry outside today, I got an ovation. Why? Who knows? Just realize, my new Korean friends, that I return that ovation to you.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl covers soccer for the magazine and will contribute frequently to CNNSI.com throughout the World Cup tournament.

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