Koreans and Brazilians gathered to watch the game between the two teams for the World Cup, this Monday (5th), at two points in São Paulo.
At the Korean Cultural Center in Brazil, on Avenida Paulista, and at a Korean bar in Bom Retiro, a traditional neighborhood in São Paulo, the crowd was divided, with the Brazilians “infiltrated”.
In the center, in an exhibition area, chairs were arranged for the public to watch the game on a big screen. The space was packed, and the minority was Korean.
Some attended for practical reasons, like student Abigail da Costa, 21, who studies near Paulista and thought it was a good idea to watch the game there.
Most were young people connected to Korean culture, many wearing colored locks in their hair, some wearing the Brazilian national team shirt.
“The crowd is divided. We came here because we really like Korea, Korean culture, so we cheer for them, but also for Brazil”, says student Luiza Azevedo, 24.
DJ Fernanda Micheleto, 24, even played a Korean drum, a buk.
She is a fan of k-pop, pop music from the Asian country, and even set up a style group with her friends, Laon. They often perform at the cultural center.
Dancer Isabella Silva, 21, is another member of a similar group. She and her friends even brought their light sticks — or lightsticks, which fans often bring to Korean bands’ concerts. All divided their supporters between Brazil and the Asians.
At the bar, financial manager Stael Beza, 35, and beautician Patricia Beza, 25, even cheered with the lone Korean goal. According to them, if the duel was against any other team, they would only support Korea.
Graduated in international relations, Luiz Almeida, 24, was rooting only for the Koreans. According to him, the relationship with a team does not have to be related to its nationality – he says he identifies much more with the Korean national team than with the Brazilian one. He even intends to do his master’s degree in the country and move there.
The few Koreans present were not optimistic. Alex Chi Joon, 39, adviser to the South Korean consulate, already imagined the defeat to Brazil before the game, and said he was already happy for the team to have reached the round of 16.
At the beginning of the first half, even in the face of the rout, the gathered Koreans shouted “Dae han min guk” (Republic of Korea).
Among them, the favorite player was Son Heung-min, author of the assist for South Korea’s goal against Portugal, which took the Asians to the knockout stage.
Arthur Kim, 21, a stock manager, carried a picture of the player on his phone’s lock screen and was keen to show it.
“He’s like the Neymar of Korea,” said Paulo Kang, 30, an investor.
Among the Brazilians, the first name mentioned was that of Cho Gue-sung, 24, heartthrob of the national team and fever on social networks, as well as the country’s top scorer in the World Cup. He may be unknown to most, but among fans of k-pop and Korean soap operas, dorameiros, he is almost unanimous.
A good part of those present, both at the bar and at the cultural center, began to relate to South Korean culture through music, cinema and series from the country.
“It’s Korean soft power,” recalled Luiz, who did academic work on Korea during his international relations studies.
The term was coined by the American political scientist Joseph Nye in the 1980s. He claims that exercising it depends on the expansion of political and cultural values from one country to others.
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