Koreans losing sleep over World Cup
• Germany ends Korea's unlikely run
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
Many in Hawai'i's Korean community have a fever and they're loving it.
Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser
For the first time in World Cup history, a soccer team from South Korea reached the semifinals. The game against Germany was played early today, but that didn't stop hundreds of fans from flocking to the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall to watch live coverage of the match.
KOAM 1460 president Ki-Yeoun Kim helped organize a viewing of today's World Cup match between South Korea and Germany at Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall.
On Friday, nearly 1,000 fans, mostly of Korean ancestry, crowded into the Mauna Kea Ballroom at the Hawai'i Prince Hotel to cheer on the home team as it defeated Spain. Hundreds more watched the game at the South Korean Consulate, in churches and at Sam Sung Plaza on Ke'eaumoku Street.
After Friday's victory, Vice Consul General Gabriel Oh said he wanted to bring all of these groups together to watch the big game.
"There are an increasing number of people showing a strong interest in getting together to watch the game," Oh said. Consul officials, along with Sam Sung and radio station KOAM 1460 over the weekend put together this morning's event, which featured five big-screen TVs and a live satellite feed from South Korean network KBS.
KOAM president Ki-Yeoun Kim said Koreans are big soccer fans to begin with, and to reach the semifinals is almost beyond belief. He said about 7 million fans in South Korea will be staging their own soccer parties.
"We love soccer," Kim said. "Before we never even won one game. We never won. We didn't have experience. But this time it's really huge."
South Korea will play again either in Saturday's third-place match or Sunday's championship. Oh said plans are under way for another bash.
