[Opinion] Patriotism Fashion

On the night when Korea beat Portugal and advanced to the Round of 16, Sejong-ro area, Seoul was the patriotism sea with 500,000 people. Euphoric young people put arms and each other’s shoulders and celebrated the victory of Korea staying up all nights in main streets of Seoul.

Young people in red T-shirts did ‘Hi-five’ with each other. I realized that the western culture which two persons took their hands was generalized to young people. Even combat policemen shook a luminous truncheon and shouted “Korea”.

World Cup 2002 raised an atmosphere like war without inter-country shot and brought the patriotism and nationalism. Some refutes that Korean team has the multi races, but there are hired troops and multi-national supports in war.

The Round 16 of USA-Mexico was a proxy war to Mexican. Mexico was deprived of over the half of the territory such as California and Texas State after being defeated in the war with America in 1848. Vicente Fox, the President of Mexico called a Cabinet meeting and watched the match. In USA, illegal 3 million Mexican immigrants watched the match too. Mexican had a brave resolution that they must beat the American in the match because they cannot beat the American in economic strength and military power. However, the Mexico was defeated. They felt frustrated. World Cup has something more than the soccer game.

If Korea beats Italy and advances to quarterfinals, what can happen? France, the first in the world rank didn’t make any goal and failed to advance the Round of 16. The French team already went back to home. FIFA ranking cannot be absolute, but are important to compare the team’s strength objectively. Korea already beat Portugal that is the fifth in FIFA ranking, and so doesn’t need to be in fear in front of Italy ranked the sixth.

If the Korea advances to the quarterfinals and then to a semifinal in Sangam World cup Stadium, I cannot imagine what will happen. Mass euphoria of Koreans will spout over 200m fountain in front of Sangam Stadium, and the patriotism will cover the north of the Korean peninsula. Old people experiencing an occupation by Japan said that they had the highest euphoria since the restoration of independence.

However, when an excitement of June is gone, what are we going to live for from July? Many of people are worried about a sense of emptiness after World Cup. World Cup euphoria will disappear when the sun of July rises.

People said that Koreans are like a nickel silver ware. It means that we are burning shortly with the soccer, passion and whatever and losing the interest quickly. When the World Cup is finished, players of Korean K League could play the match looking at the empty stand again.

At the Korea match, young people fold their cloak of the Taeguk flag about one, wear the skirt of Taeguk flag and have a face painting with Taeguk Mark. Patriotism fashion appeared. However, if the patriotism which shortly burns with excitement and loses the interest soon only when the Korean team beat, it cannot be more than the fashion.

If young people really love the country, they must have more interest on obligations and moral character as citizens. Many people clustered on Sejong-ro, Seoul showed a mature civic ethics of picking up trashes, but others in some areas did not.

I wonder how many young people who shouted ‘Korea’ for World Cup voted for this local election. The voting rate of 20’s is very low. The generations after 40’s don’t show the passionate patriotism, but they positively participate in the vote

This patriotism fashion and the passion of integrating us all during World Cup can be upgraded into a real patriotism with continuous interest and enthusiasm of various fields including politics and economics.