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Today's young Koreans were brought up under an affluent and democratized society. Proud of their Korean nationality, they embrace ethnic nationalism in two dimensions: on the one hand, assertive nationalism to the world and toward the United States in particular, and on the other hand, inter-Korean nationalism with the people of North Korea. With no memories of war and less fear of the communist North, younger Koreans prefer peaceful coexistence with North Korea. Although they recognize the importance of the alliance relationship with the United States, they are sensitive to social problems in hosting U.S. forces. Domestically, they are pressing for reforms to make the nation a consolidated democracy. Nevertheless, the political activism of this vibrant generation is limited, driven by selective events. Its immediate interests are largely cultural and pragmatic.
Introduction
The failure of South Korea's national soccer team to advance to the top 16 teams in this year's World Cup was a great disappointment for Koreans. Enthusiastic memories of the 2002 World Cup are still vivid for Koreans, many of whom have watched endless replays of their national team's series of dramatic victories up to the semi-final game. In June 2006, hundreds of thousands of Koreans again gathered at the plazas in major cities to cheer their national team. The large crowds of red-shirted young Koreans chanting "Taehan minguk (Great Korea)" and decorating their bodies with the national flag reminds everyone that the World Cup, which has become a great festival in Korea, has returned. Street cheering has become a fashion for Korean youth since the 2002 World Cup, which South Korea and Japan co-hosted. This fashion is likely to develop into a sort of tradition in which Korean youth enthusiastically cheer on their team every four years.
The cheering Korean youth are not necessarily soccer fans. Most of them would not show up at a stadium to watch a domestic soccer game. These ordinary young Koreans in their teens and 20s find great joy and perhaps some meaning in joining a big crowd cheering for their national team against a foreign national team. This collective enthusiasm is more than simply a diversion for schoolchildren who endure suffocating competition at school, or temporary relief for college students facing grim chances of employment...