Thursday 10 September 2009

Park Ji-Sung, is he really Korean?


Park Ji sung, or Ji as he is sometimes known, is either changing or he has completed the process and is a changed man. He is going through (or gone through) that strange process that Koreans sometimes go through. He is becoming a member of the international community.

Park Ji-Sung doesn't see black and white, us and them, he doesn't look down on others because they have different skin colour or are from another part of Asia. Park Ji-Sung is a fully paid up member of what most of us call, the real world. How do I know this? Well there is evidence on the internet. MBC travelled to the UK, to just outside Manchester (where all the Man Yoo footballers live) to interview Ji, to celebrate the day that the most famous Korean since Yi Sun Shin was born.

And the results were, well I'm not going to say surprising, but they were refreshing. After living in Korea it was refreshing to see a Korean sitting next to a French black man and an Argentine who cannot speak English (or Korean) and it was refreshing to hear the Korean speak Spanish and it was even more refreshing to hear that Korean say in Spanish "Argentina are shit" to Carlos Tevez and all in a jokey, friendly atmosphere. Oh and it was funny to hear him stitch up Patrice Evra at the end of the video.

I really don't like Manchester United. I really, really don't like them but I do like Park Ji-Sung. I don't want to. Every Korean man, woman, child, whether old, young, rich or poor loves him. And I don't want to like him but I do, I really do.

He is funny and he seems to have made friends with other funny people and he seems very down to earth and do you know why that is? It is because he hasn't spent his every waking moment in Korea, preaching about how kim chi cures everything and Japan are bad, in every way, he has been around. He lived in Japan and the Netherlands and now England.

Anyway, watch below and tell the next Korean you meet that although they might love Park Ji-Sung, unless they open their eyes they will never be like him. Love him! They should love him but not for the reasons they think but because he is an international Korean!

Next stop, Ban Ki Moon!!









And after living in Japan he seems like he can speak fluent Japanese too!





Here is an interview Park gave to MOTD, which includes some very difficult questions from a presenter who should have understood that when you use stupid terms and ask difficult questions to someone whose first language isn't English, you might confuse them, even though he does pretty well.





Here is a link to a special interview (well the first part anyway) that he gave, in Manchester to MBC. Notice the nice hand gestures given to the camera by the charming Manchester United fans.


And finally, to be fair to Ji-Sung here is a compilation of some of his goals, not made by me and it is very long but some goals nevertheless.


I did notice that Ji-Sung did use an English profanity a few weeks ago to express his dissatisfaction at not scoring but we don't want anything negative about him on here.

4 comments:

1994 said...

Why don't you like Man U? I am guessing you are English, so that would partially explain why.
Can you recommend a cool bar in Jeonju that has wireless available for patrons? I need to get out of Seoul for a while.

1994 said...

Does the KTX go to Jeonju?

Unknown said...

The KTX doesn't go to Jeonju but it does go to nearby Iksan, a short bus/train/taxi ride from Jeonju.

Not too sure about bars with wireless internet (don't often need it) although plenty of the coffee shops do, might be able to find out.

And I'm not English and usually take that as an insult! Have another go and if you get it right I might even seek out a bar with wireless for you!

1994 said...

I was going to say Scottish, but I cheated and saw the Wales link. You are Welsh. I got drunk once with three Welsh guys in Bath back in my university days. I guess Americans really stick out in a small town pub. Sorry for the insult. I'd feel the same way if someone accused me of being a canadian.

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