Unstoppable Red Devils: football fans chant 'Dae-han-min-guk' braving freezing weather

Korean football fans root for Team Korea in Gwanghwamun Square during the Korea-Brazil match in the round of 16 for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, early Tuesday morning (KST). Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

By Lee Hae-rin

• Published Dec 6, 2022 4:33 PM KST
• Updated Dec 7, 2022 2:52 PM KST

People from all walks of life gather to cheer for Team Korea

By Lee Hae-rin

Over 33,000 football fans in Korea marked the country's last and biggest night of the Qatar World Cup at Seoul's iconic fan zone in Gwanghwamun Square, braving predawn snow flurries and sub-zero temperatures to cheer for Korea from late Monday night to early Tuesday morning. Korea failed to advance to the quarterfinals after losing against Brazil 4 to 1.

Even though the match began at 4 a.m. (KST), the relentless football fans, better known as the Red Devils, gathered in Gwanghwamun Square to root for the Taeguk Warriors. A pre-game concert started at midnight, and the Red Devils took over the 14,100 square meters of the newly renovated public space approximately two hours before the match began, shouting “Dae-han-min-guk,” the official name for Korea in the Korean language.

Tuesday's event was a festival for football enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds. Heavily layered up with padded jackets and cold weather gear, many wore red-glowing headbands shaped like devil's horns, jumping up and down in excitement, dancing and chanting along to the cheering songs with their arms around each other. The cheering, drumming and live music echoed through the rest of the still-sleeping city.

The enthusiastically cheering crowd was seen dressed creatively with costumes and facepaint, ranging from variations of the Korean national flag to forms of traditional and pop culture.

A Seoul-based office worker surnamed Ahn was fully dressed in the traditional red robe of a queen of the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom ― complete with hair ornaments ― despite the sub-zero temperatures, because the costume “represents Korea.” She arrived at the fan zone at 11:30 p.m. with her friends, who were also fully dressed in Joseon costumes, to camp out in the standing zone, staged closest to the largest screen, which only admits 200 of the earliest arrivals. “Let's make it to the round of eight!” she cried.

An San, an enthusiastic 12-year-old football fan and a former player on a regional junior football team, experienced the country's distinct street cheering culture for the first time with his father, An Jong-hyeok.

The Ans said they drove half an hour from Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, at this late hour because the father thought this would be “one of few occasions where we (father and son) could come out street cheering together for the national team's round of 16,” and wanted to give his boy one of the best memories of his life.

“The cheering crowd is much bigger than I pictured and I got to see live performances by bands I've never heard of, so that's really cool,” the younger An told The Korea Times. “I hope Team Korea makes another come-from-behind victory and thank you Korea for cheering with us!” the younger An said, as soon as Neymar made Brazil's second goal 13 minutes into the match.

The outdoor cheering was also a celebration for foreign nationals visiting the country.

Roy Campbell, Matt VandenBerg and Buz Wilcoxon from Presbyterian College in South Carolina joined the crowd to experience the celebration. During their one-week visit as a U.S. college delegation seeking partnerships with Korean universities and churches, they decided “not to miss the excitement of the fanfare” and came wearing red horned headbands they received as gifts from friends, rooting for Korea.

“It's a magnificent country and a wonderful celebration. Go Korea!” said VandenBerg, commenting that the event seemed “well organized.”

Among the crowd was also a celebrity: Korean comedian Kim Kyung-wook, who has recently hit a second peak in his career playing Japanese character “Tanaka” on Youtube. Fully styled in the get-up of a 1980s Japanese teen star, Kim impersonates the washed-up Japanese entertainer. Early on Tuesday morning, he greeted fans in fluent “hanbon” (a hybrid language of Korean and Japanese) as in his YouTube videos.

Kim, who insisted on being identified by his alter ego of Tanaka, told The Korea Times that he has been rooting for Team Korea since the beginning of the match. Although his wish to see a Korea and Japan match in the round of eight seems unrealizable, as of 5:30 a.m., he was determined to keep cheering until the end of the game, and sent a sincere message of encouragement to Team Korea.

“You guys worked so hard and have done a great job. This is not the end, as there is a bright future lying ahead of you all! Please keep up the good work and I believe you will make us proud again!” the comedian said in Korean with a heavy Japanese accent.

To keep Tuesday's event safe and in order, the police stationed 65 officers and six squads consisting of 465 personnel, while the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Jongno District Office and Red Devils, which had organized the event, also had staff on hand for crowd control.

In response to the wintry weather, ambulances, medical personnel and tents with heaters inside were stationed in the area. The organizers repeatedly made announcements to the cheering crowds to look out for anyone around them dozing off or suffering from the cold and report them to ambulances if necessary.

White flakes of snow started to fall around 5 a.m., leaving a fluffy layer of powder on the ground. A few people left and headed home as Brazil scored its fourth goal. But most stayed until the end of the match with their fingers crossed, enjoying the falling snow and taking souvenir photographs. When their wait was rewarded with a goal by Paik Seung-ho 31 minutes after the second half began, the cheering crowd stood up in a wave screaming and dancing in joy.

Jeong Young-kyun, 46, in a wheelchair due to his disability, was one of many Red Devils who remained in the square until the jury blew the last whistle. He had left his neighborhood in Incheon on Monday night at 6 p.m. to cheer, and for him, the night was worth it.

“We lost the game, but I think it was a good game … That one goal (by Paik) was really great, it brought me great joy. It was very touching. Although I am out of sorts (with a disability), I will always root for Team Korea,” Jeong said.

As done during cheering for the previous games, the fans, local government personnel and street cleaners closed off the cheering zone for cleaning and the crowds were dismissed in an orderly manner.