Korea vs. Japan

Last night I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing yet another lamentable loss by the Korean national football team. The venue: AFC Asian Cup 2011 Semi-finals at Doha.

There are only a handful things more important to most South Koreans than beating Japan in a globally televised sporting event, including but not limited to, North Korea, comfort women, the Dokdo islets (Liancourt Rocks/Takeshima), and the naming of the East Sea (Sea of Japan), not in any particular order. While I hope to go into detail on the above topics in future posts, in this post, I want to focus on why every such sporting event is a "must-win" game for Korea.

First of all, the results. Japan defeated Korea 3-0 on penalties, 2-2 a.e.t. (after extra time). Korea struck the first goal after Park Ji-Sung earns a penalty for Ki Sung-Yueng in the 23rd minute. Japan is able to draw in the 36th minute, thanks to Maeda's goal. In the second half, Korea concedes a penalty to Honda in the 97th minute, who has his shot blocked by Korean keeper Jung Sung-Ryong, only to have Hosagai power in the easy rebound. Korea then stages a dramatic comeback at the last minute of the 2nd overtime with a frantic goal by Hwang Jae-Won. The match then proceeds to penalties.

Unfortunately, this is where things fall apart (Chinua Achebe, anyone?) for Korea. The Korean players either all miss their mark on their shots or have their shot saved by the Japanese keeper. On the flip side, Japan is able to find the net on three of their four chances, undoubtedly made easier from Korea missing their penalties. Korea is then left to once again consider whether they can honestly call themselves one of the best soccer teams in Asia.

More Koreans were probably angered by this loss than to the loss to Uruguay in the World Cup in South Africa 2010. Why? Simply because Korea can afford losing to Uruguay, despite it being the World Cup, the biggest and greatest sporting event in the world. Korea, however, cannot afford to lose to Japan. They are our quintessential rivals, from electronics, car manufacturing, and to sports. Many people were overjoyed yet disheartened to learn that Korea would jointly host the 2002 World Cup with Japan. Overjoyed because the World Cup would come to Korea, but disheartened that she would have to share the glory with its eternal rival.

If you ask the average Korean citizen why Korea cannot lose to Japan, they will most likely be unable to provide a solid, fact-based reason why Korea should win. Most of them will speak from their heart, and from what has been ingrained into their heads from an early age.

"Japan is Korea's enemy and rival, and that is the reason why Korea should win."

This is faulty logic. Yes, it is probably good to defeat your rival or enemy. However, one must first explain why Japan is Korea's enemy or rival to make the argument plausible.

So why do Koreans think of the Japanese as rivals (and in some cases, enemies)?

The answer can be found in the roots of history. While I won't go too much into the lengthy history between the two countries, I will point out two major historical events which will always affect Korean-Japanese relations.

1. The Japanese invasions of Korea between 1592-1598. The Japanese invasion left Korea in dire financial straits, with limited arable land, infrastructural damage, the destruction of Korea's main palaces, not to mention the loss of a significant portion of Korea's population as well as the loss of cultural and artistic artifacts.
2. The colonization or forced occupation of Korea by Japan from 1910-1945. If you have been attacked more than once by another country, you can bet that the country that attacked you will never be completely trusted again.

Because of these two historical events, many Koreans harbor an almost inborn tendency to distrust or even dislike Japan. I have found this to be true even among the young generations, who have never directly witnessed Japanese aggression as their forefathers once did. That is why I think it is in the blood of Koreans, even though I know this cannot be true. The expression that comes to mind is that the dislike of Japan is "in the air," meaning that the general atmosphere in the homes, workplaces, and schools is anti-Japan. 

The media plays a huge role in fostering this anti-Japanese sentiment. At least once a week, a news segment will have an update on the status of Dokdo, and these days it is not uncommon to see commercials that exploit the Korean's overzealous affinity for the aforementioned disputed islets. 

There is no sweeter victory than that of vanquishing an old foe who has crushed you in the past. That, is actually the gist of why Korea must defeat Japan in sports. Since it is highly implausible to exact revenge on Japan through sheer force and war, Korea must grasp the bittersweet victory that comes from defeating Japan in the next best acceptable method: sports (as well as economics: think Samsung vs. Sony). It is like saying, "you may have defeated me in the past, but now I stand victorious, no longer under your control. Look at me now." 

Why Korean Sports Fans Love Korean Star Players

18 January 2011

By Tim Lee

Seoul, Korea – “Park Chan-Ho is leaving the MLB???” “Choo Shin-Soo is staying with the Indians!?” For several weeks, this was all that could be heard by MLB (Major League Baseball) fans in Korea. Being in Korea, it is easy to overhear baseball fans (fanatics?) argue about which of their favorite Korean-born MLB players are doing great and which ones are making bad career moves.

My question is: why do Korean MLB fans seem only to support and follow teams that have a Korean-born player?

There are many great baseball players in the MLB- Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera to name a few- but most Korean sports news channels only have segments on how Korean players are doing in the MLB.

I guess this is very similar to what happens in professional soccer. Just like baseball, fans of foreign soccer leagues (such as the English Premier League) only want to talk about teams that have a famous Korean soccer player in their roster. We’ve all heard how every Premier League fan is a Manchester United FC supporter because of star midfielder Park Ji-Sung. When you’re in Korea you won’t see people wearing Wayne Rooney jerseys, or Paul Scholes jerseys, but you will almost always see a soccer fan wearing Park’s jersey.

I have to admit though; this Korean-centeredness is much more pronounced in soccer than in baseball. The crazy thing is that I can understand this phenomenon. Being Korean myself, I can’t help but feel some sense of pride and accomplishment when someone who is of Korean descent becomes world famous or wins gold at a global competition (think Kim Yu-Na winning Olympic gold for figure skating). This is knowing full well that I had nothing to do with that player’s achievements.

For many Koreans, living in such a tight, cramped country produces the somewhat curious desire to excel because of the stiff competition. You have to be the most special, the most colorful, the most decorated, the most educated, and the most fluent in foreign languages to be noticed in the churning cauldron that is the Korean economy. Korean moms are famous for overworking their children, even during school breaks. And according to a report by the International Institute for Management Development, Koreans work the longest hours among OECD nations.

All of this, of course, is not surprising. Korea’s economy could have only grown to its current state with all that extra hard work and dedication. You don’t just become a global economic entity just by speaking English and adopting the free market approach (look at how the Philippines remains a developing country despite having English as an official language and having a capitalistic economy). You need real grit and determination. And that is exactly what Koreans excels at.

Therefore, I see success- as defined by Koreans- as being distinguished among the huge masses. They have risen in the ranks to become top of the batch not just in Korea, but throughout the world. That is one of the main reasons we Koreans seem to glorify our fellow Koreans who have accomplished this herculean task. These star athletes are shining examples of how every Korean aspires to be successful in our country. So next time you ask yourself why Korean sports fans are so obsessed with Korean stars, now you know at least part of the answer.

Answering the Writer's Call

Greetings everyone.

First of all, thank you all for reading this. I really appreciate it.

I guess this will be my first post on my first blog. There is always a beginning; and for me, that beginning is now.

For a long time now, I've wanted to go into writing.

Haven't you always wondered how those great writers started out? Did they feel a sudden inspiration to start jotting down their thoughts? Or perhaps they saw some marvelous landmark or vacationed at a picturesque resort. Maybe a relative or acquaintance mentioned something, perhaps even just hinted at something.

"Honey, the lights really have a strange quality to them this time of year, don't they?"

Ring a bell? Supposedly, William Faulkner's wife's casual comment gave Faulkner an idea for a title for one of his novels. Whether this is fact or myth, we can't really tell, but it goes to show how a single idea can transform a person's very thoughts, and perhaps lead to a great work of art.

In my case, I really wanted to record my thoughts because I value my own thoughts. My thoughts are what matter to me because they are what defines me, at least the way I view it. My world-views, social and political leanings- to my innermost private views on life- my private thoughts are mine to own and mine to share with others. There will never be another human being who thinks the way I do about everything. I think that is why you must treasure your own thoughts, because they are unique and defines who you are. Your identity can be explained by inspecting your own thoughts (i.e. introspection).

I would argue that every good writer writes because they value themselves too much to deprive the world of their written material, whether that be a multi-million bestselling classic or the next trendy how-to manual. Of course, there will always be other factors to consider: finances (you got to earn money to live), prestige and influence (being a published author immediately gives you a mark of authority), or maybe even just writing simply out of boredom.

I hope this isn't sounding too arrogant or narcissistic. In the end, I just want to share my thoughts with the rest of the world, and there is no other better way than to write!!!