Will the North Korean soccer team go to a prison camp?

Here's the question:

I read somewhere that the 1966 North Korean footballers were put in jail for blowing their World Cup match. Do you reckon it'll happen again? Also, will do you know if SBS will be showing the English game live or will they be giving the Yanks that slot?

The '66 North Korean World Cup team did in fact end up in a prison camp -Yodok to be exact. The reasoning for the imprisonment is not only due to their loss to Portugal. That was certainly embarrassing as they blew a 3-0 lead. However, most would say it's because they were seen in public doing very "bad things".


Kang Chol-Hwan, survivor of Yodok and author of The Aquariums of Pyongyang, wrote this:

To celebrate their victory [over Italy], the players went on a wild drinking binge and, by the end of the night, were seen carrying on in public with some girls.

That doesn't seem too extreme considering the odds that were against them to beat the Italians. Pyongyang, however, didn't have the same enthusiasm.

...the national teams barroom antics were judged bourgeois, reactionary, corrupted by imperialism and bad ideas. Upon arriving back in [North] Korea, the whole team - save for Park Dou-ik, who, suffering from stomach pains on the night of the party, had been forced to stay in his hotel room - was sent to the camps.

It's hard to tell whether or not such behavior would have been excused had the North defeated the Portuguese. I assume that the punishment wouldn't have been as severe, but I really have no idea. In fact, one of the North Korean soccer players Kang discusses in his book denies that he was ever sent to a prison camp as a result of such behavior.

Pak Sung Jin, also 59, coaches one of Pyongyang's First Division sides. In 1966, his spectacular volley earned Korea a last-gasp equaliser against Chile, and the crucial point that set them up for Italy. South Korean newspapers claim Pak spent years incarcerated at Yodok internment camp, living off the insects he could catch, but he denies suffering any direct fall-out from his English sojourn.

So do you believe Park or Kang? Park says nothing happened to him while Kang says this:

Among the prisoners I met in the camp was a celebrated former athlete who made a name for himself in Yodok by making it through very long stints in the sweatbox. According to rumor, his survival secret was to eat every insect he could get his hands on. Whether or not true, it won him the nickname Cockroach. Park Seun-jin, as he was really named, had lived his earlier moment of glory back in the 1966 World Cup in England.

Kang also claims that Park had been in the camp for almost twelve years by the time he entered in 1978 and that Park was still there when Kang was released ten years later. It's safe to assume that Park doesn't have any plans on going back to Yodok, or any other camp for that matter, and denying his imprisonment is a good start.


So, do I think it'll happen again to these guys? Well, it's hard to say. I would like to say 'no way', but there are a few factors working against them. First of all, North Korea decided that this game would be the first one aired live in North Korea. They clearly didn't think that a 7-0 walloping was on the horizon. The North Korean national soccer heroes have been humiliated and since Kim Jung-un himself instructed the team to be "unbeatable" it might reflect poorly on him in the bizarro reality that is North Korea. He's not turning out to the a lightning rod for success.


The second issue is one that North Korean defectors raised.

It's hard to know how much credence to give to the claims from the North Korean Football Association that the country's leader has been giving the team personal guidance and help with tactics. But true or not, North Korea wouldn't be alone, of course, in wanting to exploit sporting success for political ends.

Mr Kim shakes his head when he thinks of the fate that might await his former countrymen.

"The result will be blamed on their weak minds," he tells me. "I'm sure the players will have to go though extreme re-education and self-criticism."

They know better than I do and if they fear it then perhaps this current national team should as well. Still, it doesn't appear that the North Koreans did anything outwardly embarrassing(aside from their loss), so hopefully these guys will escape with a slap on the wrist and not a stint in a camp.


As for the games, SBS will be showing the England match and SBS Sports will be showing the "Yanks" game. Go Yanks! Boo England!

Purchasing Korean Basketball Tickets in Korea

Here's the question:

I want to take my girlfriend to a Korean Basketball League game on Valentine's day.  I have a Korean teacher at my hagwon helping me with tickets.  He called and got some info.  You can't purchase tickets until 1 week before, and they are only available online.  The only tickets that will be available the day of at the box office are the left overs, from what hasn't sold online throughout the week.  He helped me with a profile on ticketlink.  But I've heard that even with this profile, foreigners can have difficulty purchasing tickets online, something about the citizen ID # being required.  So I'm assuming that my ID # from my Alien Card won't work.

I didn't actually get around to answering the question. Luckily, the questioner told me that he had solved the problem. Check out his answer and his blog over at Rip City to Seoul.

Wolfhound Superbowl Party

If you want to watch the Super Bowl live, Seoul Eats confirmed that Wolfhound will be showing it live. Full menu and bloody mary specials. Kick-off is at 8:25am.

Collegiate and "Professional" American Football in Korea: Teams, Rivalries and Fans

Here's the question:

You wrote about the KAFA league earlier, but what about college football? Any rivals or fans?

The KAFA is an association that's actually bigger than I thought. It's comprised of the TKAFA (Taegu Kyoungpook American Football Association),  SAFA (Seoul American Football League), BAFA (Busan American Football League), KNFL (Korean National Football League). From what I can tell though, the only thing that really matters is the Adult Teams (사회인팀) which consists of six teams and the College Teams (대학팀) which consists of 34 teams.

There are a bunch of  teams in the leagues (Korea Times has a little write-up that should clarify how the whole collegiate league works), but from the looks of it, they don't all play. Of those that do, the best two college team  meet each other in their championship game, the Tiger Bowl. The winner from that game will go on to play the "adult" team winner of the Kwangeto Bowl in the Kimchi Bowl (Korean Super Bowl). Judging by this video, however, the Kimchi Bowl (played in Namjangju) gets very little attention. This year, the Pusan National University Eagles beat the ADT Caps 34-13. Get excited Busanians!!! 

As far as rivalries go, I imagine they tend to follow the academic trends which means all SKY schools hate each other and the rest of them just try to beat the better school. So why no fans or real interest? Most Korean men join the military after two years of college. That gap certainly hinders genuine dedication to the game from both fans and athletes. The Korean system isn't great for college sports at this point in time. Additionally, it reminds me of what the Korea said,  

"...although Korea often has amazing displays of fan support for their athletes, it is fair to say that Koreans are bigger fans of their country rather than being fans of a particular sport."

Simply put, college ball simply isn't nationalist enough.

The Super Bowl and American Football

Here's the question:

Do you know of any sports bars in Korea that play football games OR if any will play the Super Bowl? I know American football isn't as popular as soccer so this is a long shot - The former question is the more pressing one but I'd love to know the answer to the second as well for next season. 

This is typically one that all Americans are concerned about. Canadians go through the same thing with hockey, but no one really cares about hockey anyways, so it doesn't matter. Last May I briefly discussed this issue, but I'll just go over a few things from that post.

Watching sports in Korea is easy if you like Manchester United, Hines Ward, Asian baseball, MMA, figure skating, short track, one swimming event, or archery. Since, however, many expats are not interested in most of those, finding a dependable place is tricky. It's odd, too. For a country that has a TV in every fucking place imaginable, you'd think that a wide array of sports would be shown. Well, that's not yet the case...unless you're this guy. He makes sure his games are shown.

                                                                                                                    First Korean-American Football Player

So let's talk American football. The most dependable option is to take care of it yourself. You can buy a subscription on Yahoo Sports! or you can go the myp2p route. As far as college ball goes, your Uni should offer a service where you can subscribe for the entire season. GI Korea threw in the idea that climate change is a myth you can befriend some hired guns or sneak into get invited onto an American military base and watch AFN.

If you want to be more social than rubbing sitting in front of your computer, then you've got a few options. RMT is always a good, dependable option. Sometimes they're live and sometimes they're not, so if you can handle being around obnoxious smashed normal Canadians, then I'd check out their viewing schedule. You can also try Geckos, Hooters and Big Rock. They try their best with the games. Big Rock looks like it's picked up a lot of the Gangnam-based -American-sports-viewing slack recently.

The only trick to watching North American sports in Korea is the time change. Unless you record it somehow, you pretty much have stay up super late and avoid the Internet until it's time for the game. That gets tricky. You might be harmlessly logging on to Facebook, when BAM!, your old middle-school friend made a ever-so-slight comment about how bad your quarterback did. First of all, fuck him for being such a douchey armchair quarterback, but you should know the risk when you get on site like that. I'd recommend Cracked if you're looking for a time killer.

Now, there is another way to battle the fall season blues: go watch the Korean American Football Association (KAFA). These guys have no fucking clue and they play like it's prepubescent flag football on the old practice field, but it does put you in the mood to listen to a little Hank Williams Jr.. The weather's cool and the beer is, well, Korean, but it's there and you'll drink it either way. Aside from the sissy hitting and lack of defense, the best part is that each team allows a couple foreign players, so if you're bulky, hot-headed and never got to be a part of the jock clique in high school, then this is your time to push around some lanky Korean dudes and build your self-confidence. Sure, the non-Korean fans might shit all over you when if you lose, but I'm sure it'd be fun.

So don't worry. You can find American football being shown somewhere, but I should tell you that no matter how much you try, you're going to miss games and you're going to be somewhat out of the football loop while you're here. I tried my best and still go on and on to my wife about how much I love the game and how great fall is because of it, but there's no way to be a die-hard fan when no else seems to care.

Just remember, anonymous questioner: I care.

Martial Arts in Korea

Here's the question:

I am planning (the closer to departure stage) on going to Korea to teach English. My question is general and may be easy for you to answer. Martial arts in Korea-- which fighting style is most studied, are there experienced and wise instructors, if I began lessons, would I be around mostly children? Thanks for your help.

I assume you're very aware that Taekwondo is Korea's national sport, but you might not have known that is also boasts having the most practitioners around the world. Having taught kids for a couple years, I know that it is popular among that demographic and, in the past, most Korean men who completed their obligatory military service had to obtain a black belt while serving.

Former K-Blogger Amanda from Amanda Takes Off was really into the sport and I bet it wouldn't hurt to snoop around her site. From what I understand, she learned quite a bit of Korean from her classes there.

There are other Korean and world martial arts here as well and I'm 100% certain that all of them have classes for adults with skilled instructors. As much as I wanted to imagine someone fighting kids like Kramer did (video here), I don't think you'll have many problems.



The other night, I was out having a drink with a co-worker and there was a very raucous table of Malaysians and Jordanians next to us. We joined in on the fun and found out that they were all Taekwondo referees and that they travel to Korea several times a year for tournaments and competitions. The Jordanian woman (whose name escapes me) at the table, although in her 40s now, was somewhat of a Taekwondo legend who became the first woman in Jordan to participate in the sport and is now the leading Taekwondo spokesperson for the Middle East. The point is that Korea is a martial arts destination.

Since I'm not sure where you'll be living in Korea, there's no need to suggest any dojangs just yet. Enjoy!

Where can I buy ping-pong balls in Korea?

Here's the question:

Where can I get ping pong balls? Emart has them, but they're like 7,000 won. Anywhere cheaper?

I'm sure you could find them in a sports store somewhere, but they'd also be expensive. I suggest you go to your local stationary store. Don't ask me why, but for some reason, ping-pong balls (탁구 공) are sold in stationary stores and they're usually pretty cheap. I should add that I typically buy them for beer bong -yes, I still play beer bong- and from my experience, they are usually pretty low quality.

So, if you wanna play table tennis, then spring for it, but if you want to pretend that you're still in college, head to the stationary store.

Help From Fellow Expats

As always, there are a few questions I can't answer very well and perhaps our ever-growing expat community can offer some info.

Korean universities in Korea?

I currently have a Bachelors degree in English and I would like to obtain a Bachelors degree in Biology as well. My main question is...since I will be working as a teacher in Seoul, can I also continue my studies in Biology? Would you by any chance know if there are any restrictions when it applies to my situation? Do I also have to obtain a student visa as well? I know that I will have to take a Korean proficiency exam in order to apply for these two universities but I was wondering if there are anything else that I should be looking into?

Field hockey?

I'm about a month away from Korea and am wondering if you could find out any information on field hockey in Seoul/Korea. I've had a look round the net but can't really find anything. I know both their national teams are highly ranked in the world, but I saw a newspaper article that said they only had a player base of around 150 (male). If you could shed some light that'd be great.

Any Ilsan laundry pickup service specifics?

I am moving to Ilsan to teach for a year and was wondering if you knew whether or not there are laundry services there. I'm sure there are general laundry services -- more specifically, however, I'm hoping to find a company that would pick up clothing at my apartment and then deliver it to me once it has been cleaned. Are these services common in Korea?

Premier League in Bundang?

The Premier League is starting soon and I really don't want to miss any Liverpool football. Do you know of any pubs in Bundang that show matches regularly?

Thanks, guys.

Bird Watching in South Korea

Here's the question:

I am finding no information on this topic, so I thought I would see if you can help me: Where are good bird watching sites in the Seoul area? I live in Bundang (Jeongja), so obviously closer is better, but anywhere reasonably close would be great. Also, are there any groups that go out bird watching together? I am less-than novice, but I would love to find some good places to enjoy the hobby.

This is a tough one, but I did manage to find some pretty solid information for you. I do know that Korea has quite a few species if birds and is a great spot for migratory bird watching in the winter, but outside of that, I have no first-hand wisdom to offer. So, rather than assuming I know where the birds are, I'll provide you with some decent links on bird watching all over Korea.

* Birds Korea

* Travel-Wise Birds

* Bird Watching Trip Report

* Another Bird Watching Trip Report

* And another Bird Watching Trip Report

* And yet, another Bird Watching Trip Report

* The DMZ

* Mokpo

* Cheonsuman International Birds Watching Fair

* Eulsukdo Migratory Bird Sanctuary

* Eco-Tourism in the Wetlands

* GORP Birdwatching in Korea

* A map of where the birds are

* A forum for bird watching in Korea

* A solid page full of useful websites related to birding

* Fat Birder

I know that's a ton of links and, honestly, there are a ton more, but these are the ones that I found particularly helpful.

If any readers happen to know more about this subject, please feel free to leave a comment with a link and I'll post it in the main text.

Scuba Diving in South Korea

Here's the question:

I was wondering if you knew of anywhere in Korea that would be good for gaining a diving license. I have nothing at the moment and would need to start from scratch. Also I don't live in Seoul so if there was something on the south coast or in Busan that would be great.

While generally not seen as a popular pastimes among Koreans, Scuba diving is gaining some momentum these days. Just as with other watersports (pun intended), Koreans are warming up to the water and trying out some more leisurely pursuits. Personally I am not into diving as the initial costs deter me from starting, but there does appear to be a couple expat resources.

Scuba in Korea, based out of Daejon, offers some pretty decent info. They've got everything from courses and dive sites to underwater photography and shark diving info.

* Aquatic Frontier, based out of Osan, makes the claim to be the only "USFK Approved Diving" club in Korea. They also offer courses and have a pretty active calendar.

* Deep Blue Quest also offers courses.

* Wet ROK Diving out of Daegu has got some courses and by the looks of it, they seem to offer the cheapest courses.

* Big Blue 33 is the number one dive resource for Jeju and it appears to be doing quite well. Its prices are reasonable as well.

I'm sure there might be some other smaller groups or clubs out there, but if you get connected with any of these organizations I'm sure you'll be able to get into the sport.

Any divers out there have any recs?

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Soccer (Football) Games and Clubs in Seoul, South Korea

Here's the question:

I'm moving to Suwon soon and was wondering if there was any teams in the local Seoul leagues who needed players? I'll be living in Suwon but
am used to travelling for at least an hour to play football in Manchester back home, so if there are any teams in the Seoul area I would love to
know.

"Some Dude"

Another sports question, huh? I did cover a little on sports in the Seoul area here, but I didn't mention soccer clubs. There are tons of expat soccer players and a lot of clubs out there. You could take a look at Seoul Saturday Soccer League or Expat-Advisory's list of Korea-based teams, but none of them are as well-organized as the Seoul Sunday Football League. These guys have schedules, tournaments, standings and just about anything else you would want. It's also got a nice forum filled with great information.

Judging by how official looking some of those sites are, I can only assume that they're pretty competitive, so those of you looking for a friendly or casual game might be dissuaded to join. For those of you looking for a more casual pickup game, check out some of these facebook groups. Each one of them are different pickup games....

* Sunday Pickup Games in Seoul
* Monday night games in Seoul
* Tuesday night games in Seoul
* Wednesday night games in Seoul
* Thursday night games in Seoul
* Indoor games

All of the above links and groups are active and play 5-a-side.

I think that should just about cover it for you. There appears to be a pretty dedicate group that goes out there and if, for some reason, you can't join of those teams, I would suggest that you either do as OpenMicah suggested and talk to your school or you could just go out there and see if you can get in on the fun.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Watching American and Canadian Sports in Korea

Here's the question:

I'm an American and a big sports fan. I've been in Seoul for almost two months and haven't been able to see any MLB or NBA games. I'm okay with keeping track of those through ESPN, but I really can't miss football seasons! Go Bills!!! Where can I go? Itaewon?

Kacie

Really? The Bills? Being a Bengals fan, my gut reaction is to make fun of you, but then again, I'm a Bengals fan.

Watching American sports is always a challenge in Korea. If you're a soccer fan and happen to British, then you're in luck. If you're like every other Korean and love Park Ji-Sung and therefore Manchester United, then you're really in luck. Korea Beat sums it up pretty well with their weekly Most Read Naver Articles. However, like so many American and Canadian expats, soccer just doesn't cut it. Sadly, there are not a lot of options for you.

I remember my first year. I was totally gung-ho for watching American football and baseball, but I soon realized that watching them was quite a challenge and sometimes not worth the effort. As I'm sure you know by now, you can catch a few games on some of the sports channels that are featured on basic cable, but unless you're watching Hines Ward or UFC, it won't be live. I can't tell you which channel they might be on as it is differs between regions, but I can at least give you a quick breakdown of a few. Remember, unless a team is or sport has some connection to Korea, these channels will rarely play American sports and in most cases there is no pattern to what they'll show.

• MBC ESPN
• X Sports
• SBS Sports
• Sportsline
• Super Action
  

Aside from that small and disappointing lineup, you can always try to find some bars that play games. From my experience though, most expat-frequented bars will play big games or they'll go to their backup of old hockey games. If you're in Itaewon, then all you'd need to do is ask the owners if they show any games or if they have satellite. Oftentimes, if the bar features American sports they'll be advertising it along with some drink or food special. I know that RMT really tries to show American/Canadian sports as seen in it's online viewing schedule. You could also check out Gekko's, Hooters and Big Rock. Hooters tries to play big games and Big Rock, like RMT, focuses on hockey.

So, your choices for public viewing are limited. However, you always have the internet. That's the best way to insure that you don't miss any big games. I don't need to list online viewing sites since a simple Google search will suffice, but I will add that if you are an American college sports fan, most of those sites won't work. You will need to go to your team or school's sports website and purchase a membership of sort. You might have to wake up at 3am for the game, but to a true sports fan, that's no problem.

I'd say just keep your eyes open and ears to the ground while you're out and you'll most likely discover a few solid places around town to catch the game.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

Rock & Ice Climbing, Bouldering and Rock Walls in South Korea

Here's the question:

I'm leaving for South Korea (Bundang) in two weeks to teach and want to know if I should bring my climbing gear. I mean, are their any good rocks, walls or boulders there? Is it worth the extra weight?

Thomas G.

Easy question here. Yes, it is worth it (because climbing equipment is very expensive here) and yes there are some excellent rocks to climb around on in Korea. However, I am not speaking from a lot of experience. I have gone climbing only twice since I've been here and one of those times, we were rained out. There does seem to be a close-knit groups of dedicated climbers on the peninsula though.

There's a climbing club called Korea on the Rocks that has endless info about climbing in Korea. They also are pretty big on ice climbing which is not that common in the West. I preferred bouldering while in the States and they even have some good resources on that.

The first time I went climbing here was with Korea on the Rocks. They're all pretty good climbers, but are more than willing to help the noobs. Many of them are long term expats and have cars which is always nice and super convenient for those hard-to-find climbs. If you don't their site provides forums, directions and other helpful links. Also, it never hurts to check out Adventure Korea. They always have some good ideas.

You could also take a gander at...

• Rockclimbing.com
• Asiarooms.com
• Indoorclimbing.com
• World-wildlife-adventures.com
• Iguidekorea.com
• ABCofrockclimbing.com

I'll also mention that the Korean climbers that I have seen are pretty damn amazing and they apparently have that reputation around the world. If you're okay with some traveling, then Korea is a perfect place for you to continue your climbing.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment

Volleyball and Other Sports Facilities in Seoul

Here's the question:

Where's a good place to play volleyball in Seoul?

Joshua

Sports, huh? Not my strong point, but I can help.

While it certainly appears to be a concrete jungle, there are a lot of sports facilities dispersed all around Seoul. You can find a basketball goal or a soccer field at just about every school in town and there are also dozens of non-Hangang parks that offer such facilities. However, it seems that the greatest concentration of sports facilities are located around the Han River in designated riverside green areas called Hangang Riverside Park.




The Hangang parks are hit or miss. Sometimes you can go there and no one will be on the field or court, but other times they might be booked for weeks ahead of time. For volleyball you can head to Gwangnaru, Jamsil, Jamwon, Banpo, Ichon, Yeouido, Yanghwa, Mangwon, Nanji. They all have some sort of facilities that should be okay for what you're looking for. I can't say which one is the best though. Korea hosted the third leg of the Women’s Beach Volleyball World Tour in 2008, so I can only assume that some of the courts are decent. They've invested a lot of dough in it as well.

If you're looking for indoor volleyball, then it might be a little harder. Like many baseball fields and basketball courts, it will require reserving a court for several months and paying a pretty hefty fee. Of course, that fee would be reduced if you got a big group together and split it, but then you have to deal with the issue of getting a big enough group together.

As I said, I'm not the biggest exercises guy, but I don't mind getting out there every once in awhile if there's the promise of a little barbecue and beer afterwards. I've never seen a shortage of places to enjoy the day and get in a little something for your health, so I good luck and happy hunting.

If your in the mood for some other sports and recreation facilities, check out this site.

Contributer and expat extrondinare, OpenMicah says...

For any public school or university teachers out there, one thing I would say is to check with the faculty at your school. Usually public schools have inter-school volleyball leagues some time in the fall, and teachers from one school usually play teachers from another school. I bet the teachers who play on your school volleyball team (especially the men) play occasionally with their buddies somewhere else out side of school and wouldn't mind you coming along.

I also would check with any foreigner or Korean friends you know working for a Korean company. They might actually have a company volleyball team that rents out a court once a week for a few hours. I had a friend working at a company, and all the guys in the office played basketball once a week on a rented court. He invited me and I split the cost with them. With 20 guys, it was only 20,000W a month. It wasn't competitive play or anything, but it was probably the only cheap way to play sports indoors. In the winter, especially.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.