The crowd started gathering on the front lawn of Wilshire Park Place—i.e., the Radio Korea building—at around 2 a.m. local time on Saturday. As more members of the Los Angeles Korean community, many of whom had stayed up the entire night, descended on the heart of Koreatown, the distinct sound of Korean drums, or buks, echoed in the crisp early morning air. Soon, the familiar chants began (Oooo Pil Seung Coreeea! Daeeee Haaaan Min Goook *clap clap—clap-clap-clap) as the entire plaza slowly transformed into a Red Sea of Korea supporters. By the time the Korea v. Greece World Cup match kicked off at 4:30 a.m., the crowd noise had crescendoed to a raucous din—a unified symphony of support for the beloved Taeguk Warriors.
Meanwhile, less than four miles away in downtown, yet another frenzied legion of Korea fans filled up the Staples Center, where the match was being shown on several big screens. Julie Park, 29, of Glendale, California, who attended the game with several friends, reported being “amazed at the unity of everyone being there, and how they were so proud to cheer for Korea.” Indeed, the crowd was a demographic cross-section of the entire Los Angeles Korean-American community: young and old—from grandparents to young infants—as well as recent immigrants and third-generation KAs all came out in full force to cheer for a single, unified cause.
Of course, the Korea national team rewarded the community’s support with a convincing 2-0 victory in its World Cup opener, as the crowd at both venues jumped into each other’s arms (whether strangers or friends) and shouted with joy after each score.
Rarely, if ever, does a single event so demonstratively unify an entire ethnic community—but that is the singular beauty of the World Cup. Once every four years, it brings the Southern California Korean population together in a unique celebration of sports, ethnic pride, community, and—with the risk of sounding philosophical—the human spirit. Whether you know the difference between a corner kick and a goal kick, it doesn’t matter: here, you become part of something bigger than yourself. And that is something we can all embrace.
Where did you watch Saturday’s Korea v. Greece game? Tell us about your experience.
-TBY
