<< Weightless | Main | We Do Jeju-do... a long time ago >>

As the World Cup marches onwards into the knockout rounds, one very special crimson lovechild has been left behind. At approximately 5:30 am (Seoul time) Saturday, the Swiss handily defeated team Korea and sent them packing from the party. As I wandered home to my bed that morning, little girls wept by the fountain and the new day seemed vaguely taunting with its bright cheery sky.

In class this week, students have plied me with various predictable responses to their nation's disgrace: "Daddy... very angry, go BOOM BOOM!" *pantomimes smashing television set with tiny fists*

They also seem hung up on the idea that the second Swiss goal was offside. Two girls I teach on Sundays told me very earnestly, in carefully planned full sentences, that they would very much like to kill the Argentinean referee who omitted the call. As Mike has pointed out, the fateful pass forward (I'm sure you know what I'm talking about - who isn't deeply vested in Korean soccer??) brushed a Korean defender on its way, rendering the decision accurate but extremely unpopular. Faced with this riposte, most children ignore me and move right onto the next complaint: "Teacher... the Swiss is handling two! Two times handling!" referring, of course, to apparently overlooked hand balls by Switzerland. Basically Korea got outplayed and the nation, as a collective, has fastened onto a universally determined pair of technicalities in order to salve its wounded pride.

The red shirts have diminished but not died completely, nationalism continuing to be a popular fashion trend even in defeat. An awful quality video of City Hall, captured by my aging camera, remembers the happier times: when victory seemed strangely inevitable and the crimson wave was still rushing down to a cerulean shoreline.

[Korea] [World Cup] [Seoul] [City Hall celebration]

Posted by Chris at 08:44 AM >> Commentations (1)