From Separation to Integration

When Korea joined best sixteen of World Cup, the roll of Red wave overspread the whole country. The delight burst from red hearts made 47 million peoples an organic body. Park Ji-sung confessed that he felt he was alone on the round just before making goal. It is the key word. At the moment, we were one. ‘I “ was ‘we’ and ‘we’ were ‘I’. We, at the moment, were one organic body that has common desire. This is the reason why a placard fluttered with a phrase “We breath with them” in Red Devils’ cheer section.

Why are peoples so enthusiastic for ‘Red Devils’? A speaking of one member of ‘Red Devils’ provides a clue for us to understand the enthusiasm.

“We don’t just watch soccer game. We participate in the game actively through cheering. It means that we are not just spectators outside the ground. When our players intercept balls, the rhythm of cheering becomes fast and the players are intercepted, the rhythm becomes slow. Fast cheering makes our players’ heart pulsation fast, and slow cheering makes the other party sluggish. During the cheering, we involve in the game deeply, and convert from an object to a subject. And we run up to the peak.”

Because the bodies of players and Red Devils are not separated, Red Devils’ is called the number 12th player, and people are enthusiastic for it. Modern civilization has separated people continuously in the center of the world. Separation gives birth to isolation, isolation gives birth to hatred. The reason why people all over the world are attracted to small and round magnet called ‘Fevernova’ is the expression of the desire of integration.

The first red wave began at 4th of June when the game between Korea and Poland opened. Not only the main stadium of Pusan Asiad Sports Complex but also main cities of the whole country were overspread with red wave. Red wave changed Korea to a festival land immediately. The environment of the festival is absolutely different from the ordinary environment. Korean flag, the subject to dignity and respect, becomes fashion materials, and peoples’ body becomes canvas for painting. All of the exceptional events are accepted during the time. The dynamic cultural status created by the youth removes a fixed idea of Korean society. The analysis performed by experts is very meaningful. Korean ‘Red Devil’ has very special meaning compared to supporters of other countries. Korea is a unique nation whose land is separated north and south.

After severe and fratricidal Korean War, ‘Red Complex’ was the strongest power networks. For last half a century, we used to be shocked by color ‘red’. For example, children in 1960s thought North Korean as a monster with red hair and horns.

It is known that ‘Red Devils’ was born in 1997 as on-line soccer supporters began a group viewing. The youth was not the generation recognizing North Korean as a monster. Because they were free from ‘Red Complex”, they named the organization ‘Red Devils’. When they were young, May 1980, one of southern cities, Kwangju raised a fundamental and overall question about ‘Red Complex’. The question was the starting point of Korean democracy, June Resistance of 1987. The democracy movement began June 10th and picked up at June 26th with one million participants from 37 cities. At June 10th, 2002 as the soccer game between Korea and USA opened, one million peoples came out street. The youth wearing ‘Red Devils shirts’ shouted only ‘Korea Oh! Victory Korea’.

After 2 years of June Resistance, in February 1989, Korea formed diplomatic relationship with Hungary. It was the first diplomatic relationship with a communism country since the establishment of Korean government. Prerequisite for peaceful unification is the conversion from antagonism into coexistence. The diplomatic relationship with Hungary was the first event of Korean’s long journey for peaceful unification confirmed internationally.

After 11 years from then, the South-North Joint Statement announced on 15th June 2000. The President of Republic of Korea and the leader of North Korea who was the head of devil announced South-North Joint Statement that has important meaning for the realization of peaceful unification. At 14 June 2002, the day before of 2nd anniversary of the South-North Joint Statement Announcement, Korea was overspread red wave again. The magnificent wave from separation to Integration was rolling.