Korea-America Cheering Together at US Army Camp

Korea-America soccer match as a chance to enhance the mutual friendship

With the World Cup soccer match between Korea and America coming up, Katusa units of Korean army and American soldiers have made a cheering team together at the Camp Red Cloud in Euijungbu, Kyunggido.

In the midst of anti-American atmosphere formed before the match, the cheering team is trying to cultivate the mutual friendship, and has become a target of interests.

US 2nd Division Headquarter have announced that after 3 o’clock of 10th as an off day. Such announcement is very unusual for the US army where the working hour is calculated down to every minute but the division commander has made the announcement when he heard that there would be a cheering together.

Katusa soldiers and the US soldiers will gather at the lounge with a large TV on 10th and will cheer the match together.

When the soldiers heard that there is a concern of demonstration in front of the US embassy and that the president has given up watching the match at the site, they have gathered together and to make it a chance to enhance mutual friendship.

Private Kim Sanghoon of Katusa said, “I’ve become better friends with the US soldiers while we were preparing the cheering team and talking about the soccer.”

He also pointed out, “We work together in the same place, but we had been pretty competitive to each other. But because of the World Cup match, we could get to know each other, so the match has brought us together.”

Regardless of the result of the match, the troop will reward the soldier who has cheered most enthusiastically with soccer balls and uniforms. The soldiers are planning to make pickets for the harmony between the two nations.

Press secretary Chae Yangdo said, “To remind the meaning of this cheering, when there’s a match of Korea and America, the soldiers will cheer together from now on.”

argus@donga.com