“Oh, Pil-seung Korea” Sung in Leipzig

An exotic scene took place on the evening of December 8 in Leipzig: one could see a waving Korean flag and hear Korean World Cup songs such as “Oh, Pil-Seung Korea” and “Dae-Han Min Kook.”

Out of the only 20 Korean immigrants and the 200 Korean students living in the city, about 100 people gathered to wave Korea flags and shout Dae Han Min Kook.

This happened in the Korean section of “the string of people” event.

Hand in hand, 10,000 citizens stretched out over a 4km distance. This string of people was categorized into 32 sections signifying the friendship and harmony among the 32 countries participating in the World Cup.

Leipzig is a holy ground of East German democracy where the Peace Revolution took place on December 9, 1989.

Kim Su-cheol (45) who came out to the street with his family, expressed his excitement over the scene. “This brings me the memory of 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup when Korean immigrants and students came together and cheered for the Korean national team. I’ve lived in Leipzig for over 10 years, but have never been as touched as I was today.”

Jae-Yun Jung jaeyuna@donga.com