Korea at the 2014 World Cup: The Awkward Adolescent Years?

See that gangly and moody kid leaning against his locker? The one who seems promising but is inconsistent, lacking in focus, and temperamental? The one who is, at times, good enough so that he gets away with being cocky, but usually looks like he could use a good ass-kicking?

Say hello to Korea's 2014 World Cup team in all its awkward adolescent glory. Not only is this the youngest team that Korea has ever sent to the tournament, but for the first time since 2002, none of the Guus Hiddink Era veterans will be on the team as players.

Those who've followed Korea national football over the past couple of years should be well aware of how volatile it has been. The Olympic bronze triumph in 2012 was Korea's greatest national footballing achievement since finishing in 4th place in the 2002 World Cup. Furthermore, it was my favourite sporting memory of all time, For related posts, read:

Korea beats Team GB in epic football QF shootout

Korea's football team should be exempt from military service, no matter what

The most golden bronze medal ever

To commemorate the happiest sporting memory of my life thus far

The medal seemed to be the latest milestone in the steady progress of Korean football since 2002. In 2006 Germany, Korea earned its first World Cup victory on foreign soil over Togo. It also drew with eventual runners-up France and earned 4 points in the group stages, which often is enough to see a team through to the knockout stages but unfortunately wasn't the case that time. In 2010 South Africa, Korea notched its second foreign World Cup victory, this time against a more quality opponent in Greece. It also achieved its dream of progressing to the knockout round for the first time away from home. Though the team put up a good fight, it lost to eventual 4th place finisher Uruguay.

The camaraderie, intensity, and focus of the 2012 Olympic campaign has eluded the World Cup team

But ever since that happy peak in London, Korean football has stagnated, or even regressed. Though the Olympic tournament is nowhere near as prestigious as the World Cup or Copa America, the 2012 one was still a competitive affair that featured excellent—even world-class—players like Luis Suarez, Thiago Silva, Daniel Sturridge, Neymar, Juan Mata, Ryan Giggs, Javi Martinez, Edinson Cavani, Hulk, Aaron Ramsey, Giovani Dos Santos, Oscar, and Marcelo. And amidst all this, Korea managed to finish third.

The victory was more than just a prize; it was significant because it excused all of the players from mandatory 2-year military service, an obstacle that has been a major impediment to the development of Korean football, especially for players seeking to play abroad. The idea was that without this career-killing obligation hanging over their heads, more Korean players could develop their skills overseas and help strengthen the national program.

But was the accomplishment a double-edged sword? In its aftermath, it appeared to have split the team into factions: one side consisted of the more talented Europe-based players (most of whom were part of the Olympic team), and the other side consisted of the domestic players (many of whom were left out). The previous senior team manager, Choi Kang Hee, tended to favour K-League players, the most glaring example being the divisive veteran striker Lee Dong Gook. The fractured locker room prompted public insubordination from certain players, culminating in a much talked-about incident on social media and the abrupt dismissal of Choi Kang Hee after the final WCQ match.

Such turbulence might've been weathered better had there been established leadership in the team. However, Korea is the 5th youngest team and the 4th least capped (a player is "capped" when he plays in top-level international match) team in the World Cup. Ever since 2002, the national team has relied on the veterans from the Hiddink team to be stars and leaders, from Choi Jin Cheol to Lee Young Pyo to Seol Ki Hyeon to Ahn Jung Hwan to, of course, Park Ji Sung. The 2014 World Cup will be the first time that no player from that era will be on the team.

The heroes of 2002 will all be on the sidelines and beyond this time

Furthermore, in 2002, only 2 players on the national team played in Europe. In 2006, it was 5. In 2010, it was 6. In 2014, it will be 9, most of whom are key starters. The most consistently excellent national teams tend to have players who all play in the same domestic league (e.g. Serie A and the Bundesliga), with certain teams like Juventus and Bayern Munich effectively becoming the national teams themselves. Historically, most (if not all) of Korea's national players came from the K-League. Maybe a few from the J-League. Occasionally, there may have been one or two hotshots who had been picked up by European teams to decorate their bench. But the team was built around a core of domestic players. This did not guarantee success, as evidenced by the fact that Korea did not win a World Cup match until 2002. And I am certain that there was factionalism in the past as well.

But expectations are and should be different now as unlike with prior Korea teams, this squad has a load of individual talent that has done rather well abroad against elite competition. Ki Sung Yueng is one of the best passers in the Premier League and he played a pivotal role in saving Sunderland from relegation. Koo Ja Cheol and Ji Dong Won also helped save Augsburg from relegation in the Bundesliga with their offensive prowess. Son Heung Min has been very good in Germany for the past couple of years and is poised to break out as a true star soon. Lee Chung Yong was one of the better wingers in the Premier League before a devastating injury sidelined his career; he has mostly regained his pre-injury form but unfortunately and unfairly remains mired in the Championship League). Hong Jeong Ho hasn't played much in Germany, but he is young and actually has a realistic chance at becoming a rare sight: a regular starting Korean defender in a top European league. His compatriot Kim Young Kwon may join him one day soon too.

Yet this team generally plays below its overall talent level, the 2012 Olympics notwithstanding. The World Cup Qualifiers (WCQ) were a near-disaster, resulting in the unceremonious firing of two managers within 3 years: Cho Kwang Rae and Choi Kang Hee. Had Uzbekistan scored one more goal in its final WCQ match, Korea would've missed the World Cup for the first time since the Soviet Union became Russia.

Korean's legendary libero and architect of the Olympic bronze triumph, Hong Myung Bo, was brought in to right the ship. But there is only so much a national manager can do in so short a time after a period of upheaval. Consequently, the team's record since the managerial switch has been mediocre-to-troubling. The last few prep friendlies leading up to the World Cup have not gone well at all. But if there's anybody with the charisma and reservoir of goodwill to help guide Korea through uncertain times, it's Hong Myung Bo.

Hong Myung Bo has been put in a very difficult position against his initial wishes, so he should be afforded
great leeway in putting his mark on the team and system

The astute website Zonal Marking hit the mark when it proclaimed that a new golden generation of Korean football is likely at hand, but it will not dawn until a few years later from now. The team is too young, and it's not blindingly talented enough to make up for that with raw ability.

I hope the team does well in Brazil, but I'm not as desperately invested as I used to be. I saw the team achieve its longed-for goal of making it past the group stages on foreign soil in 2010, and I saw them win the coveted bronze medal in 2012. Furthermore, with the success of people like Ryu Hyun Jin, Jeremy Lin, and Masahiro Tanaka, I'm not as personally thrilled anymore by the achievements of Asian athletes. And that's a good thing.

Korea has some excellent young players being cultivated by Barcelona's youth system. My biggest hope is that no matter what happens in Brazil, Hong Myung Bo will be afforded the time and patience to put his mark on the national system because we saw what he could do 2 years ago in London. More than anything else, the failure of the Korean Football Association to decide on and stick to the right course of action after the successful 2010 World Cup has derailed the trajectory of Korean football. As a comparison, just look at Japan. This was a team that was thought to be DOA at the 2010 World Cup. But they somehow found themselves in time, had a great run, and afterwards, the national association hired the right manager with the right vision. Now, Japan is a highly respected team and on the verge of perhaps becoming world-class. There's no reason to think that Korea can't do the same.

So unlike with 2010 South Africa, I won't dread having to spend the rest of the summer in despair if Korea fails to make it to the knockout stage. I've seen them succeed, and I know that the team has the talent (both in the present and future) as well as the managerial leadership to truly turn heads soon.

Just maybe not this time around. We can all sit back and enjoy the ride, though.

Do Koreans dare dream that Lee Seung Woo really is the Korean Messi as the European scouts say?

Korea draws Belgium, Russia, and Algeria for the 2014 World Cup

This was my first time actually watching the World Cup draw, and though it was confusing as hell, I was completely spellbound when they started drawing from Pot 3. I thought it'd be cool if Korea got drawn into Group A because we'd get all the added exposure of playing the host nation, Brazil. But that's probably too much pressure against too talented a team, though this is probably one of the most uncertain (though laden with potential) Brazilian teams in quite a while.

I was anxiously hoping to avoid Group D because it already had Uruguay and Italy and looked certain to be a Group of Death. When the paper was unrolled and I saw that the name of the country consisted of more than one word, I was ready to shout out some curses. But thankfully, it turned out to be Costa Rica. Considering that the other team in that group turned out to be England, it is a huge relief that Korea managed to stay out of that group.

I have to feel bad for Australia, though I have a grudge against that team because I remember when they joined the Asian Football Confederation from the Oceania Football Conference back in 2007 and they were all cocky as shit for no real good reason, thinking they'd run roughshod over their Asian opponents. The fact that they've won absolutely zero continental tournaments since then has greatly humbled them, but I still sort of enjoy watching them struggle. Still, it's a death sentence to be grouped with Spain, the Netherlands, and Chile, so I do feel for them. This randomized process can be really unfair and ruin years of hard work.

I'm delighted that Japan is in a relatively easy group as well with Colombia, Greece, and Côte d'Ivoire. Both Korea and Japan progressed to the Round of 16 in 2010, and that helped build up the respect and credibility of Asian football. I hope the two leading Asian teams can do it once again.

And let's not forget about Iran! They actually drew into a group that greatly resembles the group Korea was in 4 years ago, with Argentina and Nigeria. Greece has been swapped for Bosnia & Herzegovina, which likely makes the group stronger considered how bad Greece was in South Africa. As in the last tournament, Argentina should be clear favourites (especially since Maradona is nowhere near the team), but 2nd place should be up for grabs.

Brazil appears to have drawn a relatively easy group that has no peer threat. But Croatia, Mexico, and Cameroon are all quality sides and there's no obvious minnow. However, that often makes groups easier, I think, because without a team that's basically a free victory for everyone, you can count on your opponents cancelling each other out. But if I were Brazil, I'd be worried about the fact that I'd very likely have to play either Spain or the Netherlands in the first knockout match.

It seems awfully convenient that both Switzerland and France drew into arguably the easiest group in the tournament with Ecuador and Honduras. Do I smell a Blatter-Platini conspiracy? This gets even more suspect once you realize how screwed the Anglophone countries of England, the U.S.A., and Australia got in the draw.

The amount of contempt and distrust that people have for Sepp Blatter makes James Dolan
look like Art Rooney

I'm really happy with Korea's draw in a group with Belgium, Russia, and Algeria. No group is ever easy, but considering that we could've easily been Australia or the U.S., we lucked out. Bad news is that if we do make it out alive, we're going to likely have to face either Germany or Portugal. But I think having the chance to slay a giant on the world stage should be relished, because if your team can't win the World Cup, the next best thing is to make a splash by playing spoiler and breaking hearts. I would love Korea to be the team that further delays/prevents the ultimate deification of Cristiano Ronaldo by keeping "World Cup champion" off his resume. Also, it's interesting how this group is almost identical to Japan's group in the 2002 World Cup, except instead of Tunisia, there's Algeria.

And needless to say, the U.S. got the worst draw of them all. Not only do they have to play Germany and Portugal, but the "easy" opponent in their group is Ghana, the team that's knocked the U.S. out in the last 2 World Cups. In fact, Ghana continues to haunt former U.S. manager Bill Bradley as they knocked out Bradley's Egypt in the African qualifiers. I often get irritated by the arrogance of some American fans, such as when they say things like, "The World Cup won't become popular in the U.S. until we win one," as if they're so entitled to a World Cup that they feel that they can grab the trophy without even really caring. Mind you, there are nations, like the Netherlands and Mexico and Portugal and Cameroon and Colombia and Ecuador, who have cared A LOT for a LONG time who have never won one. These fans seem to have cause and effect backwards. I also think that some Americans are hesitant to fully embrace a team sport in which countries like Ghana are legitimate peers, even perhaps superiors at times. Nah, they'd prefer to stick with American football and call themselves "world champions" even though nobody else plays the sport.

The undisputed best QB in the world, beating out all those talented
Russian, Egyptian, and Chinese QBs. Amirite?

But that aside, no national team deserves to be in such a difficult group with such arduous travel conditions in a comfy little place called the Amazon rainforest. But on the bright side, if the U.S. does manage to advance, it'll be a huge story.

Son Heung Min nets hat-trick against his old team

Son Heung Min scored his first ever Bundesliga hat trick against his old team, Hamburg SV. Having come to Bayer Leverkusen for €10 million, he is both the most expensive Korean player ever and the most expensive player that Leverkusen has ever bought. So far this season in 13 games, he has 4 goals and 4 assists, and his team is in 3rd place in the Bundesliga. Last year for HSV, he scored 12 goals and had 2 assists.

I remember when it used to be rare to see Asian athletes succeed at the most elite levels. Ichiro and Yao Ming were the exceptions. Now, it's getting more and more routine. Good Asian pitchers in the MLB are so blah now: Koji Uehara, Yu Darvish, Ryu Hyun Jin, Hiroki Kuroda, Hisashi Iwakuma, Wei-Yin Chen, Junichi Tazawa... And let's not forget position players too like Shin Soo Choo, who is due for a massive contract after establishing himself as one of the best leadoff hitters in the game.

In basketball, Jeremy Lin has gotten off to a great start, posting a PER of 19. Pretty much everything he was criticized for last season (shaky jump shot, ho-hum defense, inferior left hand), he has improved upon over this summer. It's really impressive how much this guy one-ups his game all the time.

Park Ji Sung makes triumphant return to PSV Eindhoven

The 2012-13 season was probably the low point of Park Ji Sung's decorated career. He moved from Manchester United to Queens Park Rangers, a team that on paper looked to be on the rise with a lot of new signings and a new high profile manager in Mark Hughes. Park even got the honour of being named captain, which was the first for an Asian player in the Premier League.

Well, the season was kind of a monstrous (and expensive) disaster and QPR ended up being relegated. Having seemingly lost his motor and energy, old "Three Lung" appeared to be washed up and it looked as though his European career was over. Perhaps a cash-motivated stint in the Middle East was in order before he would quietly retire.

Then he got loaned out to his old club, PSV Eindhoven. For those of you who don't know, PSV was where Park began his European career shortly after he impressed at the 2002 World Cup. He and Lee Young Pyo were the two Korean players that Guus Hiddink took with him to PSV. Lee Young Pyo had a fine European career himself, enjoying stints at clubs such as Tottenham and Dortmund, but Park was by far the more successful player with multiple Premier League titles, a Champions League medal, and cult hero status at Old Trafford. But before all that, it was at PSV where Park made a name for himself and proved that a Korean player could make an impact in the modern European game.

Park's most famous goal at PSV, scored against AC Milan in the Champions League semi-finals in 2005

And on Saturday, Park was able to turn back time and pick up right where he left off at PSV, scoring a late game equalizer against Heracles Almelo in a Dutch league match.

So after a rough year, it looks like everything is going Park's way: he's back at his old favourite club, he's scoring goals, and he even has a new girlfriend.

Cute couple: Park Ji Sung's girlfriend, the TV announcer Kim Min Ji

As for how the other Korean players in Europe are doing, Kim Bo Kyung played a big part in propelling newly-promoted Cardiff City pull off a huge upset of Manchester City this weekend. Son Heung Min has gotten off to a fine start at his new club, Bayer Leverkusen, and has a goal already. Koo Ja Cheol is back at Wolfsburg after spending two great seasons at Augsburg, and he is doing well. Ji Dong Won is unfortunately still stuck in go-nowhere Sunderland despite a great half-season loan spell at Augsburg last season, but hopefully he can recapture his form and impress his new manager, Paolo di Canio. Park Joo Ho moved up from the Swiss League to the Bundesliga with his new club FSV Mainz. He has started all 3 matches and his team is in 4th place right now.

Not all news is great though. Ki Sung Yueng is in a bizarre situation at Swansea right now and looks to be on the verge of a loan. This is very strange because he was signed for a record fee last season and did very well since coming over. And the very talented Lee Chung Yong is still mired in the Championship with Bolton, the team with no luck (they just lost Stuart Holden again to a serious injury). This guy deserves to play at the highest level, so somebody pick him up!

OMG OMG OMG, Koo Ja Cheol, Park Ji Sung, and Patrice Evra are gonna be on Running Man!

Awwww...

So apparently, the next 2 episodes of Running Man (the best Korean variety show ever) will feature Korean soccer players Koo Ja Cheol and Park Ji Sung, as well as Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, who is well-known in Korea for not only being an excellent player but also for being Park's soulmate during his Man United days.

Captain Koo

I'm also excited that Koo Ja Cheol will be on the show. Koo is famous for captaining the 2012 Olympic team to a bronze medal, and scoring the insurance goal against Japan in the bronze medal match. He's spent the last 2 seasons in the Bundesliga, helping little Augsburg miraculously stave off relegation for 2 straight seasons and establishing himself as one of the more promising young midfielders in the league. He was actually on loan from Wolfsburg, so he'll play for that club next season unless he gets transferred.

Unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time lately to watch any Running Man episodes, but this is definitely one I'll need to catch, especially since the last one with Park Ji Sung was so good.

I'd love to be able to hang out with these guys one day

Hong Myung Bo is the new Korea manager!

Edit: I may have jumped the gun here because Hong Myung Bo's appointment is neither official nor final. The forums were absolutely certain that he had been chosen, but there is still no official word. Not that anybody probably uses this little blog as a news source, but as of this moment, Hong is not the actual manager of the national team, though my money is still on him. 

First off, congrats to Iran. Welcome back to the World Cup.

Yes, that was a pretty miserable loss for us tonight and it was pathetic how we only made it to the World Cup on goal differential. If we had conceded 1 more and Uzbekistan had scored 1 more, I think we'd have been out. That's cringe-worthy.

But I'm not even that mad. It was a fitting end to the increasingly nightmarish Choi Kang Hee Era, which shall be henceforth known as the Dark Ages. The fact is that in 270 minutes of match time, Korea had exactly zero goals scored from open play. And this wasn't against exactly elite competition either. Against Lebanon, we got a last minute free kick goal that salvaged a draw. Against Uzbekistan, we won because of our opponent's own goal. And against Iran, we created some decent chances but failed to finish.

Vintage Hong Myung Bo, circa 2002

This shouldn't be happening on a team this talented. Remember that Korea has 3 young players (Koo Ja Cheol, Son Heung Min, and Ji Dong Won) who are thriving in the Bundesliga, now arguably the best league in Europe. Son Heung Min will become the most expensive Korean player ever, breaking the record set just last year by Ki Sung Yueng of Swansea, who has himself become a solid starter in the Premier League. He will be joined by Kim Bo Kyung, who played well in his first season at Cardiff City, a team that just won promotion into the Premier League. Lee Chung Yong is still a dangerous winger and hasn't lost much following his disastrous leg break. Kim Young Kwon, Hong Jeong Ho, Jang Hyun Soo, and Kim Chang Soo are all promising young defenders who may move to Europe in the near future.

In terms of individual talent, this young team is clearly on the rise.

Just last year, the Olympic team won bronze in a pretty loaded tournament that featured some major superstars like Neymar, Edinson Cavani, and Juan Mata just to name a few. They beat a Team GB that had legit players like Aaron Ramsey, Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy, Joe Allen, Scott Sinclair, Tom Cleverley, and Micah Richards. They lost to a Brazil squad that was essentially the senior team, then went on to beat a pretty talented Japan team that had the likes of Hiroshi Kiyotake, Maya Yoshida, and Hiroki Sakai.

Ah, London 2012: Good memories

So why has the national team suffered so much? Well, there's a whole variety of reasons that I don't want to go into here.

But the important thing is that Hong Myung Bo is apparently the new manager!!!!!

This is great because not only is it inspiring to have a real Korean legend managing the national team, but because he's already familiar with most of the players due to his stint at the Olympics, he won't need a lot of time to implement his vision. There aren't many older players who deserve a spot in the starting 11, so his main job now is to integrate the core of the Olympic squad with players like Son Heung Min, Lee Chung Yong, and maybe Kim Shin Wook and Lee Keun Ho.

Still, he only has a year to prepare for the 2014 World Cup. I think that we should acknowledge that he has been given a tough hand with so little time to prepare, and be willing to accept perhaps a shaky performance. The real goal now is 2018 in Russia. Our young Olympic players will be veterans by then, and the Korean kids at the Barcelona youth teams might pan out by then.

Finally, some real hope.

To commemorate the happiest sporting memory of my life thus far

London 2012 Football - Korea Wins Bronze by jesuinthesky88

Took me a while to make, but it was a labour of love. 

The most golden bronze medal ever

Has a bronze medal ever meant so much?

For a long time, I have wanted this bronze medal for Korea so badly, but I was afraid of getting my hopes up and getting heartbroken. If Korea failed to medal this year, then the only likely remaining chance for many of these players to earn military exemption would be at the Asian Games in 2014.

Now was our glorious chance, but would we be able to seize it?

There's a whole lotta historical, political, and cultural reasons why a Korea victory over Japan means so much to people, but I'll try to explain in pure footballing terms why it was of such utmost importance for Korea to win the bronze medal.

Of course there's military exemption, but that's obvious and I've written about that before. So what else was at stake?

Quite simply, what was at stake was genuine optimism for Korean football amidst turbulent changes and an intensifying rivalry with Japan.

Park Chu Young, Koo Ja Cheol, and Ki Sung Yueng
will now be able to lead the new generation of
Korean footballers for the next 10 years,
unencumbered by military duties

Korea did well in the 2010 World Cup when they advanced to the Round of 16 and lost to eventual 4th place finishers Uruguay. But afterwards, the team grew stagnant while its closest rivals, Japan, began to impressively ascend to new heights. This was bitterly highlighted in Japan's two most recent victories against Korea: a shootout victory in the 2011 Asian Cup, and a dominant 3-0 victory in the last Haniljeon (what we call a Korea-Japan derby match).

Korea's road to the World Cup had also become rocky. A shock loss last year to Lebanon led to the firing of manager Cho Kwang Rae, and the search for his successor was less than organized. Eventually, Choi Kang Hee (a safe and logical pick) was chosen as the new manager, and he led the team to a series of unconvincing wins over bad-to-mediocre Middle Eastern sides.

With the retirement of legendary veterans like Park Ji Sung and Lee Young Pyo, Korea had a serious leadership vacuum and an uncertain future. Meanwhile, the fact that Japan with its superstar players (like Shinji Kagawa, Keisuke Honda, and Yuto Nagatomo) was being recognized as an upcoming footballing power just made everything more painful for Korean football fans.

If they could do it, why couldn't we?

That's why this Olympics meant so much to us. It was the story of a young team that saw a new leadership core emerge in the midfield partnership of Ki Sung Yueng and Koo Ja Cheol. It also saw the well-disciplined solidification of what had been the weakest part of the Korean team for a long time: its defense. And it was a testing ground for manager Hong Myung Bo, who promised to be the kind of charismatic leader that Korean football hadn't seen since the likes of the canonized Guus Hiddink.

Park Chu Young redeemed himself after an intensely difficult year that saw him bafflingly ignored
at Arsenal and vilified as unpatriotic for obtaining military service deferment through his ties to Monaco.
Park scored the crucial first goal against Japan and assisted on the backbreaking second.

Well, now that Korea has accomplished the seemingly impossible dream of medalling in football in these Olympics, I'm surprised that I'm not more ecstatic. I was floating when Korea beat Switzerland, and I was in rapturous ecstasy when we beat Great Britain. But I feel so calm now that we've beaten Japan. It's almost as if I felt that there was no possible way that the universe would let us lose after we had come this close. I dreaded to think about how I would cope with a loss to Japan, but I was never that afraid.

Well, it's now the sweet end of a long journey, and I probably won't write about Korean football much anymore. I can't emphasize how monumental of a turning point this is, as an entire generation of perhaps the most promising bunch of young Korean players has now been freed of debilitating military service. This victory over Japan will go down as one of the most famous wins in the team's history.

Hong Myung Bo: The New King of Korea

London 2012. Best Olympics ever.

Korea's football team should be exempt from military service, no matter what

How many Olympic sports can sell out a 70 000 capacity stadium?

Preface: Korean male athletes are exempt from military service if they win an Olympic medal. Otherwise, they must serve for 2 years before the age of 29 (which conveniently coincides with the prime of a footballer's career).

Not all Olympic sports are equal. Some medals are much harder to obtain than others.

For example, football. Football is different. It just is.

Olympic football is a 2-week tournament that begins before the Opening Ceremonies and ends with the gold medal match on the eve of the Closing Ceremonies. Any team that wins a medal will have played 6 hard-fought matches, each of which were at least 90 minutes long.

It's quite ludicrous how all that effort only adds up to one medal for a team, whereas a swimmer can rack up multiple golds in just a few days.

There are already certain sports that give out 2 bronze medals, such as Judo, Tae Kwon Do, Wrestling, and Boxing. The difference between third place and fourth place is completely arbitrary, and no different than, say, distinguishing between fifth and sixth place. It's just our culture's bias towards the number 3.

I'm not saying this because I fear that Korea will finish 4th. I think they'll play Brazil very hard, and if they don't beat them, they are certainly more than capable of beating Japan or Mexico for the bronze.

But if after all this, Korea ends up losing the next couple of matches to finish 4th and, thus, become ineligible for military service exemption, then I'll be absolutely gutted. And so will an entire country. It would be the absolute cruelest ending to what has been the most rousing Korean football experience since the 2002 World Cup.

People are notorious for wanting to have contradictory things. They want low taxes but lots of government services. Men want to sleep around but have chaste women for wives. And (some) Koreans want football players to be treated like everybody else, but they also want to keep up with the rest of the world in the sport, especially Japan.

Korea's the only football country in the world that handicaps itself by forcing the early retirement of its players. If its ambitions are modest, then so be it. But it's not. Korea dreams of becoming a very good footballing nation. It can't do that when every Korean footballer's career basically ends at the young age of 27.

Perhaps there are lots of bitter citizens who don't want superstar footballers to get opportunities that most Korean men don't have. But if so, then I hope they're also perfectly okay with being merely a regional power, and falling more and more behind Japan.

Korea's already made national history by progressing to the semis in Olympic football. If they beat Brazil, then everything I said won't matter, at least not for another generation. But what if they don't? Is there that big a difference between 3rd and 4th place? Is the government really going to stunt the careers of perhaps the most promising generation of Korean footballers ever just because of a totally arbitrary human predilection for the number 3?

Ah, just go and beat Brazil.

Korea beats GB in epic football QF shootout

Ji Dong Won (9) is swarmed by teammates after he opens the scoring against GB 

London 2012 has been a bipolar Olympics for Korea, as inexplicable judges' decisions against the country have soured the elation that has followed its better-than-expected medal tally so far.

First, there was the nonsensical disqualification (and reinstatement hours later) of star swimmer Park Tae Hwan in the semi-finals of his signature event, the 400m freestyle.

Then there was the inexplicable reversal of decision in a judo match between Korean judoka Cho Jun Ho and his Japanese opponent, in which Cho was given the victory by all 3 judges until some suit intervened and forced the awarding of victory to the Japanese judoka.

And perhaps most infamously, Korean fencer Shin Ah Ram should've made it to the finals of the women's epee, but was denied a victory when the judges forgot how to tell time and gave her German opponent almost 4 seconds when there was only 1 more second left in the round.

Wait, what's Korea doing up there?! Isn't that the Axis of Evil country with all the mail order brides?

Also, despite the fact that Korea has been in the top 4 of the medal tables for the first half of these Olympics, NBC has mentioned them exactly ZERO times in its coverage: http://deadspin.com/5931343/nbcmetrics-through-wednesday-south-korea-had-14-medals-and-nbc-had-never-mentioned-it-in-primetime 

All these events have stoked pervasive feelings among Koreans that our country is still not given due respect on the world stage despite our status as an OECD nation and a technological hub of the world. There are many resentful Koreans who feel that since the West fulfills its "Asian Appreciation Quota" with China and Japan (yay, chow mein and samurai!), Korea is still seen as a developing country that is mainly the source of dogmeat jokes and war brides.

Daniel Sturridge becomes the latest in a proud
lineage of Britons who've succumbed to
pressure during PKs

So it was unimaginably sweet when on 4 Aug 2012, the Korean men's football team outplayed and defeated the GB team on GB's home turf, especially since GB had been gifted 2 very soft penalty kicks in a dizzying span of four minutes in the first half (which Korea had dominated). Luckily for Korea, their goalkeeper Jung Sung Ryong saved 1 out of the 2 penalties, thus effectively saving the match for them.

If Korea had felt slighted by the Games in general thus far, then there was no better way to exact revenge than to knock out the host country in its favourite sport on its home field.

Some sour grapes people may dismiss the event altogether, saying that nobody cares about Olympics football. But Millennium Stadium in Cardiff was packed that night, and the look of devastation on the British players (especially Daniel Sturridge, who missed the crucial shot during PKs) should tell you that both Korea and GB, and their supporters, wanted to win badly tonight.

This will likely be the last GB football team ever assembled because there's no way in hell that Wales and Scotland will tolerate playing under the Union Jack and singing "God Save The Queen" as its team anthem for anything other than a Great Britain-hosted Olympics.

So the history books will indicate that the last ever incarnation of a GB football team played its final match in front of a raucous home crowd in Cardiff.

Ki Sung Yueng celebrates burying his decisive PK

And they lost to the Koreans.

Will people take more notice of Korea next time?

PS When KSY won the match for Korea with his PK, I started jumping and screaming so much that I slipped on the straw mat on the hardwood floor and landed awkwardly. But I was all right!

London Olympics: Some stories I'll be keeping an eye on

The 2012 Summer Olympics are almost upon us! Here are things that have caught my interest.

Legendary Korean defender and now
 Olympic team manager, Hong Myung Bo 

Korean Football Team

Naturally, as a Korean national football fan, I'll be keen to see how Korea will do in one of the most prestigious international tournaments in the sport. The Olympic (U23 + 3 overage players) team will be the senior team soon, so this will be a good opportunity to see what this young team can offer going ahead into the 2014 World Cup.

However, the truly important matter at stake is the issue of military exemption. Korea, unlike every other country in the world except maybe Israel, forces its male athletes to complete a 2-year military service before the age of 29. Basically, it means that the careers of most Korean athletes are artificially and drastically shortened. The issue of military service is a complex one which I won't get into, but suffice to say, the whole thing has greatly impeded the progress of Korean football.

But if Korea can earn at least a bronze medal, then everyone on the team will be exempted from mandatory service. Obviously, this is a tall task with the likes of Brazil, Spain, and Uruguay in the tournament, but Korea has a decent team and if they can put together a string of great performances, they just might find themselves in contention for a medal.

LeBron James: Crushing the haters, 
one by one

American basketball team

I normally hate anti-underdog teams, but there's a sadistic sort of joy in watching Team USA run roughshod over all the other national sides. Rarely do we get a chance to see the likes of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, and Kevin Durant play together in any meaningful game, so I relish the opportunity every four years to see the basketball gods come together to reassert their place on the pantheon.

Park Tae Hwan

I think Olympic swimming is a bit silly in the sheer number of medals it gives out for slight variations of the same goal, which is to swim faster than everyone else in the pool. Michael Phelps may have won 8 golds in Beijing, but in my opinion, Usain Bolt still accomplished the more awe-inspiring feat of shattering every track record that he ran against. It's not Usain's fault that there aren't medley relays in track and field for his medal count to balloon.

Nevertheless, I'll pay more attention to swimming this time around because there's this Korean guy named Park Tae Hwan, and he's pretty good. He already won a gold and silver in Beijing, and he'll have a chance to win about 3 medals this time. He'll nearly be a lock for the gold in the 400m freestyle, and should be very competitive in the 200m and 1500m freestyles.



Usain Bolt

Poor Usain hasn't been doing too well lately, but it'll be interesting to see if he can repeat his immortal displays from Beijing. There's nothing more exciting than the 100m sprint in the Summer Games.

Intro to Korean footy

Another great perk about living in Korea is being able to watch any match played by the Korean national football team. Even meaningless friendles by underage squads are televised here. Ever since the 2002 World Cup, I've been quite the devoted follower of Korean football. In fact, if a genie could grant me three wishes, one of those wishes would be to score a goal in the World Cup as a member of the Korean national team.

Right now, Korea's in a difficult transition phase. They did quite well in the 2010 World Cup, qualifying out of their group and narrowly losing to fourth-place finisher Uruguay in the Round of 16. But a lot of the veterans retired soon afterwards, and now the U-23 team is pretty much the senior team. They're talented, but they're a bit young and a leadership core has yet to emerge definitively.

For the footy fans, here's a quick rundown of the best young Korean players.

Ki Sung Yueng (MF, Celtic)

In my opinion, KSY is the most important player for Korea. He usually plays deep in the central midfield, helping out the defense and starting attacks with pinpoint long passes. Plus, he's always good for a goal outside the box as he's got a cannon shot.

I've heard him compared to Xabi Alonso or Riccardo Montolivo. KSY plays for Celtic right now, but he's due for a move as his talents are not optimized by the rough and untechnical Scottish League.

Likely destinations are either Queens Park Rangers or Liverpool. I'd rather see him at the former than the latter as he will be more of a focal point and less of a newbie among expensive stars at a world-renowned club. Plus, he'll get to reunite with former national teammate Park Ji Sung.


Lee Chung Yong (MF, Bolton)

A skillful winger, LCY is so important to his club that when he sustained a season-long injury during last year's preseason, his team got relegated. And this was a Bolton club that had looked worthy of a Europa spot the year before.

I'm hoping that he'll get picked by a Premier League side and won't have to spend a year in the Championship. Wigan, with their young and innovative manager Roberto Martinez, would be the ideal destination, in my opinion.

What frustrates me about LCY is that he's got an incredibly weak shot. He's often able to work himself into promising situations due to his creativity and skill, but his inability to just blast the ball into the net often costs him goals.

Still, he scored 2 goals for Korea in the 2010 World Cup.


Koo Ja Cheol (MF, Augsburg)

KJC is an attacking midfielder who can pass and score a goal from anywhere around the box. After floundering for a bit at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, he showed himself as potentially one of the best midfielders in Germany with a stellar half-season on loan at Augsburg.

If you go look up his highlights for Augsburg, you'll see some truly spectacular long-range goals.

As captain of the Olympic team (which is basically the senior team), it seems that KJC is being groomed as the next captain of Korea.




Son Heung Min (FW, Hamburg)

At only 19 years of age, SHM hasn't quite yet established himself on the national team, and he was left off the Olympic team so that he could focus on his club career at Hamburg. In Germany, he's shown flashes of his attacking potential but injuries and inconsistency have prevented him from hitting full stride.

He had an awesome preseason a year or two ago where he was the team's leading scorer, outscoring even the great Ruud van Nistelrooy. SHM has been singled out by Franz Beckenbauer himself as potentially the next Cha Bum Keun, the great Korean striker who was a big star in the Bundesliga during the 80s.





Kim Bo Kyung (MF, Cerezo Osaka)

Another promising young attacking midfielder, KBK is often described as the next Park Ji Sung. To me, he seems to have more upside than PJS, and he could eclipse his esteemed senior counterpart in a few years.

Many expected him to go to the Premier League or the Bundesliga, but it seems that KBK is headed to the Championship to play for Cardiff City. It's an odd decision, but considering the high failure rate in the past of Korean players who made the direct jump into the top 4 European leagues, perhaps this move is a wise one that will allow him to acclimate himself to the European game before moving on to bigger things.



Hong Jeong Ho (DF, Jeju United)

While Korea boasts several promising midfielders and strikers that are either in or poised to move to Europe, most of their defenders play in Asia. The backline has been a problem recently for Korea, especially as the all-time great defenders from the 2002 World Cup squad have retired.

HJH is the most promising of the bunch. I haven't seen him play a lot since he plays in the K-League, but he's described as a big and strong ball-playing central defender.

I wanted to see him in the Olympics, but unfortunately, a leg injury has ruled him out. That's a pity. If Korea wants to do well in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, then HJH is going to have to live up to expectations.




Lee Seung Woo (FW, Infantil A Barcelona)

LSW is actually one of three young Koreans currently in the Barcelona youth academy, La Masia.

I've never seen this 14-year old play, but from reports, he is becoming one of the star players for their elite youth squads. I can't tell you how exciting it is to think that in about 5-10 years, there could be a Barcelona product starring for the Korean national team.