Red Devils to cheer World Cup team at Seoul Plaza

Korean fans will be able to see the red wave of cheering fans again at Seoul Plaza, in front of Seoul City Hall, during the 2010 World Cup, in particular on June 12, 17 and 23, when the Korean national football team will compete against Greece, Argentina and Nigeria, respectively.

Mass cheering for the World Cup is a relatively recent trend. In 2002, the Red Devils, a supporters group for the national team, held the first massive campaign, which drew tens of thousands of people.

Since then, watching and cheering World Cup games on a huge TV screen at the plaza has become tradition here.

But the tradition almost disappeared when the organizer of the Red Devils announced Monday that it would use a street in front of COEX Mall in southern Seoul. It claimed that sponsors of Seoul Plaza cheering Hyundai Motors, mobile phone service provider SK Telecom, and phone service provider KT Corp. forbid using any other songs except their commercial chants and melodies at the place.

Seoul city officials stepped in to resolve the standoff between the football fan club and big companies. After negotiating for nights, the Red Devils obtained freedom of cheering. Hyundai Motors and SK Telecom promised to guarantee freedom of shouting any slogans and chants during the World Cup campaign.

붉은 악마 서울 광장에서 월드컵 응원전

축구대표팀 응원을 이끄는 붉은 악마가 당초 서울광장 응원 불참 철회와 함께 복귀 결정을 내렸습니다.

서울시는, 국민적 응원을 주도하는 붉은악마에 서울광장 응원 참석을 재차 요구하며 설득하는 등 운영위원들과 새벽까지 밤샘 논의를 거쳐 복귀 결정을 이끌어냈다고 밝혔습니다.

붉은악마 측은 당초 서울광장 응원을 주최·후원하는 기업들이 응원가 사용 제한, 자유로운 응원을 방해한 데 대한 불만으로 강남 코엑스 앞 영동대로 쪽으로 응원 집결장소를 옮겼으며, 이같은 결정에 따라 절반씩 두 곳으로 분산돼 응원을 펼치기로 했습니다.

아울러 서울광장 응원전을 기획한 현대차와 SKT는 붉은악마의 입장을 받아들여 자유로운 응원가 사용을 보장할 예정입니다.