Readers may recall that during this year’s World Cup I spotted a couple of news items reporting how Korean banks were using football to get in new business. But it’s not just the national team which pulls in the financial punters. Park Ji-sung, the sportsman with the biggest brand power in Korea, has been used … [Read More]
Category: Sport (page 9)
New Malden’s role in Reading’s success
From the FT on 13 October Reading fly high on the wings of Seol By Jonathan Wilson As explanations for a good start to the season go, the fact that your ground is less than an hour’s drive from New Malden rarely features. There can be little doubt, though, that the main reason Reading approach … [Read More]
Samsung chief visits his favourite football club
The boss was over from Korea, so there was a Samsung management team outing to see Chelsea draw 1-1 with Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge last Saturday, according to the JoongAng Daily. Lee Kun-hee used the occasion to compare a successful business with a successful football club. “The premier league is where the best athletes … [Read More]
The picture that says it all
A South Korean soccer fan protests against what he considers to be the referee’s unfair judgment after South Korea’s national soccer team lost to Switzerland in their World Cup Group G match as they watched the match on a screen in Seoul, Saturday, June 24, 2006. Switzerland defeated South Korea 2-0. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon). It’s … [Read More]
Park’s equalizer costs Woori Bank millions
I’m still running this as a business story. It’s a follow up to my post a few days ago. The Korea Times today provides more detail on banks’ exposures to the world cup. As well as Hana Bank’s Red Devil Reserve Account, Woori Bank has opened 19,000 “I Love Park Ji-sung” time deposits. Every goal … [Read More]
Korean banks gamble on world cup results
I know I promised that this site would be a world cup free zone. So I claim that this is a business story, not a sport story. Tom Coyner’s excellent Korean Economic Reader service sent me the following editorial from the Korea Herald a couple of days ago. As it was a sports story I … [Read More]
Football fever grips Seoul
With the world cup kicking off in Germany on 9 June, South Koreans are hoping for a repeat of their 2002 success: An image from the BBC’s website (above) and one from the Chosun Ilbo (below). [Read More]
Wake Up for the World Cup
Good luck to the Red Devils as they prepare for football’s ultimate tournament. May their metatarsals remain intact. To cheer them on their way, ZiNi has written a theme song. Just go to ZiNi’s blog to hear it. The song’s title, Wake up for the World Cup, reflects the fact that because of the time … [Read More]
Think Korea: Taekwondo demonstrations
Two taekwondo demonstrations as part of Think Korea 2006: Taekwondo demonstration 14 May 2006: London Brunel University, Borough Road, Isleworth, Middx, TW7 5DU 15 May 2006: Cambridge, Wellcome Trust genome Campus site in Hinxton, CB10 1SD [Read More]
Sport and nationalism: YMCA Baseball Team
We’ve just witnessed the triumph and then despair following the ups and downs of the Korean team in the baseball world cup. And the TV commercials are now full of football references. So I just put my copy of YMCA Baseball Team in the DVD player (it’s been on my to-watch pile for rather too … [Read More]
Koreans and sport #2
Korea has now crashed out of that international baseball tournament, after a 6-0 whitewash at the hands of Japan [Read More]
Koreans and sport #1
They’re doing very well in some baseball tournament or other, of which the highlight was beating Japan. The Korean team’s leading player is the star Park Chan-ho. Must feel good to beat the old rivals across the East Sea. Meanwhile, not only the prime minister but now the vice-minister for education have been forced to … [Read More]