Korean fandom out in force

GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA Walk into any of the venues in Pyeongchang or Gangneung and you are sure to hear a familiar refrain from the enthusiastic fans — “Dae Han Min Guk, Dae Han Min Guk.”

It’s the equivalent of the “USA, USA” chants you so often hear when American athletes are on the field of play.

It means Republic of Korea.

Though new to many of the sports being played in these 2018 Olympic Winter Games, South Korean fans have embraced the spirit of competition and are proud and loud every time their athletes are in action.

To say they are engaged would be an understatement. At short track speedskating they go wild. Koreans absolutely love the sport and are very good at it. Two of the three gold medals the country has won here came in short track.

MinJun Kim, looking exhausted just from watching the frenzied action at the short track venue, says many Koreans have fallen in love with winter sports, even though most people did not grow up watching or playing them.

“It’s the most fun to cheer for Korea,” he says through an interpreter. “I’m so happy the Olympic Games are here. I don’t want to miss any of it.”

At the curling venue, they cheer every shot taken by Eunjung Kim and her teammates, who are looking like a medal contender. The men’s team, skipped by ChangMin Kim, is not doing as well but you wouldn’t know if from the intensity of the crowd.

They roar every time a Korean stone touches an opposition stone, whether the desired effect of the shot is achieved or not, and the building buzzes each time an up-weight stone is sliding down the ice, erupting with deafening cheers when it reaches the target.

“Korean fans are still pretty unfamiliar with the curling sport, but it has gained a lot of popularity with the Winter Olympics,” says Boram Han, through an interpreter.

“Korean fans tend to be very enthusiastic, whether it’s Olympics or big sports games. With winter sports, mostly short track and figure skating have been popular but now that the Olympics have been here, curling and other events will be much more popular as well.”