My Most Memorable Moment

Michael Kim
My most memorable moment was when South Korea won their first ever game at the 2002 World Cup, co-hosted by South Korea & Japan. Koreans are known to love the game the soccer; however, Korea, as a republic, never won a single game at the World Cup before leading up to that year. So there was extra pressure on the players, coaches, and the nation, as a whole, because they were co-hosting the event. The media swarmed the players and coaches watching every move they made since 2000. The whole nation put their hopes and dreams onto the people.
It was June 4th, 2002. 8:30pm, 7:30am for me because my family was watching it from New York. The stadium was packed with crazy Koreans chanting in Korean, "Republic of Korea!" It was so loud and crazy that the camera broadcasting the game was shaking. Every single hair on my body shot right up. Other camera shots were showing Korea's Capital City Hall and other big places filled with people sitting outside just to watch the game together as a nation. Them, too, were chanting in one voice, "Republic of Korea!"
When Korea got their fist goal. The crowd, as well as I, went crazy! Then we got our second, we got even louder. With ten minutes left in the game, you can tell there was an overwhelming sense of nervousness of the possibility that the players can screw this lead up and lose because that was what our nation was known for; chokers. Even the commentators mentioned it.
It was stoppage time and we were counting down by the seconds: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... The whole nation went into a bliss. Players fell down on their knees and faces over great joy. Fans were crying. It was beautiful mess. That year, Korea went all the way to the Semi-finals, beating powerhouse nations like Portugal, Italy, & Spain.
That morning, I was never more proud of being a Korean in my life. Koreans all over the world came together in their respective areas to support and cheer for their country and players. It was a once in lifetime experience.