World Cup Fever in South Korea

A new and contagious epidemic is sweeping South Korea and the rest of the world and it’s not the swine flu or yellow dust. The upcoming world cup has brought out radical fans, new theme songs and every excuse to party from Seoul to Busan as a red sea of patriotic football fanatics sing praises to the “Red Devils.”

With kick off in less than a week Korea has made sure to clothe every citizen working in hospitality from hotel staff to grocery clerks in red jerseys in support of the South Korean team affectionately called “The Reds” or “The Red Devils.” Korea’s beer “Hite” has changed its label from a generic looking orange and blue motif to a series of football comic strips. Schools have held world cup themed sports days where classes compete in massive football games emulating their favorite players. Little is known about pre-game build up coming from the North Korean fans but NPR recently reported that key Northern player Jong Tae-Se has vowed to score a goal in every one of the team’s scheduled matches. Not an easy task given the tough draw the North Koreans have been stuck with.Jong Tae Se 

The most advantageous aspect of the games for us will be the live broadcast being projected onto an 80′ tall screen in the open-air stadium across the street. With the time difference from South Africa to Korea all games will be played between 8pm and 3:30am Korean time. I can safely forecast three weeks of summer nLonely Planet’s homepage ights tailgating Korean style in the very near future. Stay tuned for world cup updates from Korea and be sure to check out as bloggers from around the globe write in about their world cup experience.