Team Korea Arrives in Scotland

It rained sparsely. Scotland is located near the northern Europe so the sun was still up at nine o’clock in the evening. Although it was raining, the sky was still bright. Dick Advocaat and Team Korea arrived in Glasgow on May 28 after 16 hours of flight. The national team will wrap up its train here. After evaluation matches against Norway (June 2) and Ghana (June 4), it will head to Germany on June 6.

The weather was refreshing and chilly. The temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius. The welcoming party numbered about half the Korean population in Glasgow—about one hundred fifty Koreans live here. All who greeted the team were wearing red T-shirts imported directly from Korea. The T-shirts bore slogans like “Reds Go Together” and “Tuhon (Fighting Spirit).” The people were holding placards reading welcoming messages. Alarmed by a sudden influx of people, the airport police were dispatched; but after being told what it was about, the policemen nodded their heads. Visitors at the airport took pictures of the rare display using their mobiles. Yi Jeong-sun (40) said they came to greet the national team’s arrival after a soccer tournament of their own. Koreans living in Glasgow gather on weekends to play soccer and socialize, according to Yi.

Surrounded by people, Advocaat said, “It was a long flight. I expect the best result from our training here in Glasgow. It has nice natural environment and wonderful facilities.” Ahn Jung-hwan (Duisburg) said, “Time really flies. It is relaxing to have won the evaluation match held in Korea. Now we can focus on our training.” Lee Chun-su explained his new purple hairdo, saying, “It represents a new start.” The team spent the rest of day doing light exercises. It will increase the intensity of its training during the remaining days until the World Cup starts.

Won-Hong Lee bluesky@donga.com