Red Devils so proud of Taeguk Warriors

By Park Si-soo

Staff reporter

Hundreds of thousands of supporters jumped, screamed and hugged each other early Wednesday morning across the nation to celebrate the South Korean team's advance to the second round of the World Cup in South Africa.

A huge crowd of fans, known as "Red Devils," packed the 14-lane street near the COEX convention center in southern Seoul as the referee blew the whistle to declare a 2-2 draw with Nigeria, Wednesday. The result meant South Korea will meet Uruguay in the second round, Saturday.

Some set off fireworks, threw shreds of paper in the air or sprayed beer they were drinking on surrounding people, fueling the festive mood. A handful of supporters sobbed out of unbearable pleasure.

"I'm so happy. My feelings cannot be better at this moment," said Kim Young-sook, a Korean-Brazilian, while wiping away tears rolling down her cheeks with a handkerchief. "I'm really proud of being Korean. I expect to see the Korean team pitted against Brazil in the final match."

Police estimate more than 60,000 people flocked to boulevard near COEX alone, despite the3:30 a.m. kickoff and a pre-dawn chill.

An estimated 500,000 Red Devils gathered at 58 cheering venues across the country, including about 260,000 in Seoul - 80,000 at Seoul Plaza and 70,000 along banks of the Han River - according to police.

"It was awesome and perfect," said Cody Brack, 25, a traveler from Victoria, Canada, who joined the cheering crowd with his sister Jennilee Brack, 23. "This is our first time to join the event. It's fantastic."

Shouting "Korea No.1," the Canadians shared the festive mood with a group of Korean supporters jumping shoulder-to-shoulder to cheering songs blaring from giant speakers.

Sense of Patriotism

"I'm full of joy while heading to work," said Min Byung-sik, 57, a sauna employee. Min said he arrived at the boulevard with a friend six hours ahead of the kickoff to occupy a good place to watch. "I don't feel tired at all," he said.

Min and his colleague were among those who stayed up all night. Most of the designated cheering venues saw crowds arriving from as early as 9 p.m., Tuesday. Among them were kids, college students, and even some gray-haired senior citizens.

Some avid fans put up tents on the sidewalk and slept inside awaiting the do-or-die match for the South Korean team. Thousands of supporters also spent time eating snacks and chatting with friends on picnic mats.

"I will occupy a better location at any expense to watch the next game here," said Jung Myung-ho, a supporter at Seoul Plaza, who came from Ansan, an industrial city on the outskirts of the capital.

Park Jung-tae, 20, said he feels like he became a patriot.

"I've never seen a football match like this. Our team's advancement to the final 16 instilled a sense of patriotism in me. I'm so happy," he said.

Many people also gathered at pubs and restaurants to cheer on th team. Kim Tae-il, 45, said he arrived at a pub in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province, at 2.30 a.m. to get together with other supporters.

"It's really sensational. I hope everything goes well despite the current sluggish economy," he said, adding that he will have to go to work without sleeping.

Yoon Jae-won, 29, an official with the Judicial Research and Training Institute, said, "It was a really close game, but I'm happy that we moved on to the last 16. I did expect our team to win. I would like to thank the players who did not give up till the end."

The wave of support reached out to sparsely-populated territorial islands and a number of Koreatowns overseas.

More than 3,000 Koreans, Korean-Americans and non-Koreans added their wishes for a win in an outdoor cheering event in Koreatown in downtown Los Angeles, a home to the largest Korea town.

Large-scale cheering rallies by Koreans also took place in other major cities including New York, Tokyo, London and Dubai and so on.

Staff reporter Shim Hyun-chul and Korea Times intern Lee Jung-inn contributed to this article.