During the Group H finale of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 between South Korea and Portugal on Saturday, Korean time, Korean fans at the stadium started shouting “Messi! Messi!” when the Portuguese team’s captain Cristiano Ronaldo got the ball. The support seemed random, as the Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi was not on the field of the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar: his team was not even in the same group and had clinched its spot in the top 16 two days earlier

Soccer Dec. 4, 2022

The results by the South Korean national team in Group H of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 have followed a peculiar pattern: It defeated the group-winner Portugal in the finale, tied with the next highest-ranked Uruguay 0-0, and was beaten by the lowest-ranked Ghana 3-2. Would the pattern continue when the Taegeuk Warriors play against the five-time World Cup champion Brazil at 10 p.m. Monday, or 4 a.m. Tuesday in Korea? The Korean team has indeed shown in the past -- mostly during the Koreans�

Soccer Dec. 4, 2022

Prior to the Group H finale between South Korea and Portugal, the odds of the Taegeuk Warriors reaching the top 16 seemed slim to a near-comical level. Now after the Koreans have done the improbable, fans are waiting to see if they can keep on their miracle run in the next match against Brazil at the round of 16. The odds are stacked against South Korea as high as ever; Brazil currently sits at the top of the FIFA ranking and has won the World Cup five times in the past -- more than any other na

Soccer Dec. 4, 2022

South Korea pulled off a 2-1 upset against powerhouse Portugal on Saturday, Korean time and, despite Uruguay’s 2-0 defeat over Ghana, achieved an improbable feat of making the knockout stage. It is the Taeguk Warriors’ first trip to the knockout stage since 2010. This marks the third time in the nation’s history that South Korea has made it to the final 16. Portugal, despite the loss to the underdog, advanced to the next round. Two other teams in the Group H, Uruguay and Ghana

Soccer Dec. 3, 2022

South Korea’s heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Ghana in the Group H match of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 on Monday has put the team in a bit of a pickle. It now faces Portugal, the only undefeated team in the group, in a do-or-die match. South Korean fans are hoping history would repeat itself in the upcoming Group H match: In the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan, South Korea defeated the heavily favored Portugal squad in the final group stage match. The situation was similar, albeit not exactly the

Soccer Nov. 30, 2022

Despite the eventual loss, Monday’s match against Ghana has produced some bright spots for struggling South Korea in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. One of them is the rediscovery of Cho Gue-sung. He scored two goals against the Black Stars during his team’s 2-3 loss, marking the first time a Korean has ever scored more than once in a single World Cup match. The 24-year-old K-League player’s stellar performance in his first World Cup start appears to be drawing the attention of te

Soccer Nov. 30, 2022

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on language, culture, history or anything K-related. -- Ed. Find the answer at the bottom of the page. For many South Koreans, the 2002 World Cup was unforgettable. It was the first and only tournament Korea hosted, along with co-host Japan, and it was where the country produced many firsts in its World Cup history -- the first win, the first advance to the knockout stages, and the improbable run to the semifinals. Before 2002, although it ha

Soccer Nov. 30, 2022

In a painful 3-2 loss against Ghana, one bright spot for South Korea was the stellar performance of Cho Gue-sung, who scored a brace in his first World Cup. With South Korea down 2-0 heading into the second half, Cho scored at the 58-minute mark with a header from Lee Kang-in’s cross. Just three minutes later, he soared above the defense for the second goal, this time assisted by Kim Jin-soo. This is the first time a Korean has ever scored more than once in a World Cup match. Only three

Soccer Nov. 29, 2022

After falling to Ghana 3-2, South Korea now faces a narrow path to survive the group stage and enter the last 16 at the World Cup in Qatar. To advance, the team must defeat Portugal, the strongest team in the group, to stand any sort of chance. Even if it does, it could still lose out, depending on the results of the match between Uruguay and Ghana. With all four teams in Group H having finished their second matches, Korea has just a single point and barely leads last place Uruguay on goal diffe

Soccer Nov. 29, 2022

South Korea came short of logging its first win of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, as it fell 3-2 to Ghana in its second match of Group H Monday. The Black Stars battered the tough Korean defense led by Kim Min-jae -- who played 90 minutes in regulation despite the leg injury he sustained in the match against Uruguay on Thursday -- and took a 2-0 lead in the first half, one each from Mohammed Salisu and Mohammed Kudus. Cho Gue-sung of South Korea scored two goals in the second half to tie the gam

Soccer Nov. 29, 2022

FIFA has been barring supporters from donning outfits or flags that could be offensive to other nations at the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. It was recently reported that the international governing body of soccer has told English fans not to wear medieval Crusader costumes at the World Cup. “Crusader costumes in the Arab context can be offensive against Muslims. That is why anti-discrimination colleagues asked fans to wear things inside out or change dress,” the Times of Lon

Soccer Nov. 28, 2022

The upcoming second match for South Korea against Ghana on Monday will be a crucial one, but not quite enough to ensure its survival in Group H of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. South Korea and Uruguay are currently tied at second place with one point they earned from their scoreless draw on Thursday, while Portugal leads the pack with three points and Ghana is last with zero, as a result of Portugal’s 3-2 victory over the latter in their first match of the group stage. If South Korea wins,

Soccer Nov. 28, 2022

It was announced Sunday evening that Kim Min-jae, the center back for the South Korean national soccer team, is yet undecided on whether he will play in Monday’s Group H match against Ghana in the FIFA World Qatar 2022. Koreans’ manager Paulo Bento told reporters that clearing the Napoli defender for playing will be a game time decision, prior to the kick off at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, at 4 p.m. local time, 10 p.m., Korean time. “Tomorrow, in the morning, we

Soccer Nov. 28, 2022

Earlier this month, a man in his 20s was arrested on charges of stealing 100,000 won ($74) worth of food over a span of four days from an unmanned store in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. When caught, he said he was hungry. The court is yet to decide on this 21st-century Jean Valjean's case, but poverty is a very real issue among South Korea’s young adults, a problem aggravated by the global COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing insecurity in the job market. Young and poor As of this August, 1 ou

Social Affairs Nov. 27, 2022

Before the Korean War a railway connected Seoul and now North Korean city of Sinuiju, working as a main route traversing the country vertically. Eventually the two Koreas, along with railway, or Gyeongui Line, were severed, save for a section connecting Seoul and its satellite cities, known as the Gyeongui-Jungang Line. After a plan to transform the obsolete over-ground railway into an urban park launched in 2010, the park was made accessible to the general public in three phases and finally com

Culture Nov. 27, 2022