We CAN Make It

The Korean Team made a remarkable history of advancing to the World Cup semifinal, stimulating the change of thinking among Koreans. Previously, people said, “We can’t”. Now they are beginning to think “We CAN” instead. In other words, the negative way of thinking is being replaced by positive attitude.

In the June 18th match against Italy, few people, who crowded the City Hall Plaza, seemed to give up, even when Italy was holding 1-0 leading. That attitude did not change even when it was getting near the end.

Pak Chung-Ha (23, female), a college student from Yongin, Kyunggi Province, said, “Nobody lost their hope. They kept shouting ‘It’s OK. We WILL make it.’ In the past, people may have left, saying ‘We lost. Forget it!’

Park Dea-woon (31), a resident of Goayng City, stated, “First, I didn’t thought our team would win against Portugal. Later I found myself being changed, watching the match. At the end, I got to believe in our players. I felt confident they would make it to the final.”

This confidence re-appeared in handling complaints about the fairness of referees.

A netizen, whose ID is LEE Chang-won, logged onto Dong-A.com. He wrote thereon, “no luck or unfairness played any role in our victory against Italy. We can even prove that by video tapes. Everyone will see when they watch the tapes.”

Shim Jae-hee (25, a Seoul resident) was quoted as saying, “In the past, we kept saying ‘we CAN’T. We can’t help it. It’s our fate.’ That was a dominant thought of our society. Now, it’s totally different. Watching how the Korean Team MADE IT, we realized that we were wrong. That is getting rooted in our daily life.”

The pride of being a Korean can be felt in other area. The supporters on the street voluntarily cleaned the streets when a game was over.

Chong Chan-il (37), who lives in Suhdae-Moon, Seoul, expressed, “Nobody forced anyone. People cleaned the streets on a purely voluntary basis. Watching them, now I got to believe we can make it in every respect, not just in soccer.”

Chong continued, “Who can’t do this without self-esteem and pride. Unconsciously, I guess, we got to realize how we have to act as a nation of such accomplishment.”

Experts opine that it is different from temporary hallucination from joy of victory. This change of attitude stems from Koreans’ trust in themselves. They have witnessed that they can top the world. The realization and experience led them to the belief in their potential and possibility.

Kim Kyung-il, a professor of sociology at the Institute for Spirit and Culture of Korea, articulated, “The advance to the semifinal instilled pride in our mind. People got to believe that we could confidently face the other developed countries and win. The negative attitude toward ourselves have been swiped out of our mind, which was first forced by the Japanese and got strengthened through competition with developed nations.”

Kim Min-sik, a psychology professor at Yonsei University, predicted, “This World Cup has transformed our attitude. The pride brought by the World Cup will have positive impacts on our life and view on our nation.”

Hyo-Lim Son aryssong@donga.com