Welcoming ceremony for S. Korean U-20 World Cup squad to be held in central Seoul
- 5 years ago
Despite missing out on the title, the Under-20 team got further in the competition than any other South Korean men's team in history.
And to welcome the squad home,… thousands of fans came out to downtown Seoul.
So let's connect to our Won Jung-hwan who is currently on the scene,… at presumably the hottest place in the country right now.
Hi Jung-hwan, how's the atmosphere there?
Hi Connyoung. The atmosphere right now at Seoul Plaza is absolutely buzzing
More than 2-thousand people came out on Monday lunchtime to welcome the young Taeguk Warriors.
People have been waiting in line for some 2 hours before the event,... to see the 21-man squad for the first time since they left for Poland earlier last month.
Its been over 40 days since the under-20 men's national football team left the country to take part in the Under-20 World Cup in Poland.
The fans, who have only been able to watch their journey to the final on TV,… are showing their delight ahead of their meeting with the players.
"I came because of my obsessive love for football as a passionate fan. I can’t express how excited I am. I even changed my work schedule just to come here and welcome the players who performed so much better than expected."
"I got up really early today to see Lee Gang-in in person because I’m a huge fan. As I watched the U-20 games, I got to like the players that I haven’t noticed before. I came here to give a huge round of applause to all of them for a well fought game."
Jung-hwan, the fans seem really happy to see the players in person. Before you go, one more thing,... I heard the car parade in Seoul was cancelled. It was originally scheduled to be held at 12:40 and run from Gwanghwamun subway station to Euljiro station,… what happened?
Yes unfortunate news for the fans,… who were waiting to see the national football team do a car parade for the first time in almost 17 years.
The Korea Football Association originally scheduled a parade after the welcoming ceremony,... but was canceled due to traffic reasons.
If the car parade was on as scheduled,… it would have been the first time the fans would have been able to see such an event in the heart of Seoul since 2002 when the World Cup was held here in Korea and the team went to the semi-finals.
But Korean football's government body have prepared a little fan fest for the public after the main event.
They made a mixed zone for fans to freely take photos together with the team members,... and even allow them to have a quick chitchat with the players.
So while the national team fell short of winning the ultimate prize,... their historic achievement has lit a fire in Korean fans, who have been waiting for a moment like this,... since the country's magical run in the 2002 World Cup.
And in fact, even South Korean President Moon Jae-in has scheduled a dinner with the team on Wednesday to congratulate them for their achievement in Poland.
That's all from me from Seoul Plaza, back to you Connyoung.
And to welcome the squad home,… thousands of fans came out to downtown Seoul.
So let's connect to our Won Jung-hwan who is currently on the scene,… at presumably the hottest place in the country right now.
Hi Jung-hwan, how's the atmosphere there?
Hi Connyoung. The atmosphere right now at Seoul Plaza is absolutely buzzing
More than 2-thousand people came out on Monday lunchtime to welcome the young Taeguk Warriors.
People have been waiting in line for some 2 hours before the event,... to see the 21-man squad for the first time since they left for Poland earlier last month.
Its been over 40 days since the under-20 men's national football team left the country to take part in the Under-20 World Cup in Poland.
The fans, who have only been able to watch their journey to the final on TV,… are showing their delight ahead of their meeting with the players.
"I came because of my obsessive love for football as a passionate fan. I can’t express how excited I am. I even changed my work schedule just to come here and welcome the players who performed so much better than expected."
"I got up really early today to see Lee Gang-in in person because I’m a huge fan. As I watched the U-20 games, I got to like the players that I haven’t noticed before. I came here to give a huge round of applause to all of them for a well fought game."
Jung-hwan, the fans seem really happy to see the players in person. Before you go, one more thing,... I heard the car parade in Seoul was cancelled. It was originally scheduled to be held at 12:40 and run from Gwanghwamun subway station to Euljiro station,… what happened?
Yes unfortunate news for the fans,… who were waiting to see the national football team do a car parade for the first time in almost 17 years.
The Korea Football Association originally scheduled a parade after the welcoming ceremony,... but was canceled due to traffic reasons.
If the car parade was on as scheduled,… it would have been the first time the fans would have been able to see such an event in the heart of Seoul since 2002 when the World Cup was held here in Korea and the team went to the semi-finals.
But Korean football's government body have prepared a little fan fest for the public after the main event.
They made a mixed zone for fans to freely take photos together with the team members,... and even allow them to have a quick chitchat with the players.
So while the national team fell short of winning the ultimate prize,... their historic achievement has lit a fire in Korean fans, who have been waiting for a moment like this,... since the country's magical run in the 2002 World Cup.
And in fact, even South Korean President Moon Jae-in has scheduled a dinner with the team on Wednesday to congratulate them for their achievement in Poland.
That's all from me from Seoul Plaza, back to you Connyoung.