Children Who Grew Up Near Tanks Will Be Thrilled

“I am aware that the Korean army dispatched to Iraq are not there to engage in combat but to promote peace. When the Iraq people find out that the Koreans are sending soccer balls they will be delighted. On behalf of the Iraq people I want to thank the Koreans.”

Hantush Margid (27), who came to Korea from Iraq in 2001, has been working at an automobile brokerage business in the Incheon Yool-do Used Car development. In Korean, he expressed his gratitude towards our company’s “send a soccer ball” campaign. “The Iraq people love soccer. The children especially will be thrilled,” he said.

Margid, who said that he rooted for the Korean team in front of Seoul City Hall during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup added that “when I first heard that Korea was dispatching troops to Iraq I was somewhat disappointed, but I became relieved after seeing how Korea helped Nasiriya last year.”

Nasiriya is a small city in the Southern part of Iraq where the Seohee and Jaema troops of Korea were stationed. The local community welcomed the Korean army as they built hospitals to treat the Iraq residents.

Habib Alasri (33), a colleague of Margid, stated, “Although we don’t’ have much space to play soccer back home, it is indeed Iraq’s favorite sport and we use bricks to build goal posts. With the soccer balls that the Koreans send I hope the children will enjoy playing soccer.”

He left his wife and two children back in Nasiriya. “I hope Korea will act differently than the U.S. I am hoping that Korea becomes our friend instead of shooting at Iraq like the U.S.”

Ali Musawee (24), who is in the automobile brokerage business, expressed his anticipation by saying “when they send the soccer ball my nephew in Baghdad will be very happy. Although the Iraqi image of Korea has been damaged somewhat by the Korean troop deployment, it will hopefully be restored thanks to this event.

“Recently, about 160 people have died because of terrorism in my country. Although the war is over, I hope that through soccer my people will be relieved of their suffering caused by the ongoing battles.”

He also added that “except for discrimination against foreigners at times, Korea in general is a fascinating country.”

Ali (21 Park Min-woo: Korean name) who is the son of Muna Kelli, a professor of Arab languages at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said that “Iraq represents a wounded body, and the situation in Kirkuk is even worse. A warm and kind hand to treat the Iraq people’s wounds will be very helpful.”

He stated that “For the past 10 years, the children of Iraq have been playing with dismantled and wrecked tanks. The soccer balls from Korea will help treat the children’s scars.” They were overwhelmed when each was presented with a soccer ball as a thank-you for their interview.

Jae-Dong Yu jarrett@donga.com