Female Hit Makers Talk About Soccer

Four beautiful young women gathered in a recording studio located in Seoul and discussed World Cup. The foxtrot-singing musical group LPG (Long Pretty Girls) made its debut with a song titled “Cancan" last August and has become popular among young and old listeners alike. As the name suggests, its members, Su-ah (23), Han-yeong (25), Yeon-oh (24), and Yun-ah (22), are all over 175cm in height. In a recent interview, the women talked about the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.

Han-yeong: “It was probably the starting point for women to have interest in soccer. I was modeling for a fashion show in Osaka, Japan. We models dressed up in red t-shirts and cheered in front of a TV.

Yun-ah: I was participating in the Miss Korea Beauty Pageant. Sadly, the pageant did not attract much attention because of the World Cup. But I had fun watching the games.

Yeon-oh: I realized for the first time that soccer has the power to bind people together. I think it`s rare in other sports. I once played a goalie back in high school. It feels great to block a goal. It`s a high that comes close to scoring a goal. So I like Lee Wun-jae (national team goalkeeper) the best. He`s also handsome.

Su-ah: Lee Dong-guk is my favorite. It’s so sad that he can`t go to the World Cup because of an injury.

Han-yeong: I like Park Ji-sung the best. I think he represents integrity that the game demands. Anyway, don’t you think our song “Cancan” suits the festivity of World Cup? Do you remember when we dressed in soccer jerseys and sang that song at a college festival? They all went wild. I liken the World Cup as something we can all enjoy regardless of wins or losses. It’s a big party where we all sing and dance together.

Yun-ah: It may be fun and games for us. But it must be tough for athletes. Watch the game in real-time at the stadium; It`s a war. The competition is so fierce that they literally wrestle each other.

Sung-Kyu Kim kimsk@donga.com