North Koreans Watch World Cup, Thanks To ABU

It was interesting to read how many reporters in South Korea assumed the North Koreans were broadcasting illegally the World Cup matches when actually the free telecasts were courtesy of the Asian Broadcasting Union. It seems somewhat ironic to me that some South Korean broadcasting networks like KBS and MBC are planning to sue SBS for refusing to share broadcasting rights to the World Cup ( as apparently originally agreed upon) while those up north can watch for free.


Out of curiosity, I posed the following questions to John Barton, Sport Director of the Asian Broadcasting Union ( ABU). Many thanks once again, Mr Barton for responding so promptly!

1. Does the ABU have any idea how many N Koreans have TVs which would allow them to watch the World Cup matches?

J. Barton: "I don’t know precisely but I would imagine the penetration would be very high. Having been to Pyongyang and visited the national broadcaster KRT, I know that the vast majority of households have access to free to air television."

2. How much censorship is practised with regard to the games esp for last night's game with Portugal?

J. Barton: "Censorship is not the right word to use, though it is one that would come easily to reporters when discussing the DPRK. In contracts with major rights owners, such as Fifa and the International Olympic Committee, broadcasters are NOT told how to schedule. That is purely their own decision. So if a country wanted to run all games 24 hours later, they can. Naturally that is not a good strategy in most markets where, if you are not live, you are dead. What that means is by delaying your telecast the audience levels drop off dramatically and so, too, does revenue if you are a commercial broadcaster. In short it is very unwise to put games like these on a tape delayed basis."

3. Can you shed more light on the ABU decision to present this gift to NK?

J. Barton: "This is not a gift, as such. We have provided our signals for various events to territories free of charge for many years. Events such as the Olympics, Asian Games (15 countries will receive this year’s Asian Games free of charge), Fifa World Cup, and so on, where there is a proven inability to be able to pay for such a service. If we had to charge these countries would not get to see these events, hence the ‘gift’ as you put it. I prefer to say we are assisting in their development of television sports, and not penalising a population simply because they are poor!"

Pity,  though,  for the North Koreans that their team couldn't score against Portugal which played like a goal-making machine ( 7 -0 ) in its most recent match in South Africa. It would be interesting to hear what ordinary South Koreans think about the whole situation. I wondered if any  would be cheering for the North Korean team given the recent tensions over the Cheonan incident until I came across this article.

sources:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2921629
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2921302

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/06/16/2010061601309.html
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/05/26/2010052601308.html
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2921954
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/06/16/2010061601191.html
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2921964
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/sports/2010/06/136_67742.html
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2010-06-15-2233360639_x.htm

South Korea vs Argentina - A Case of David vs Goliath?

Whose strategy will pay off? Will there be drama, courtesy of coaches Maradona and Huh Jung-moo?

Will the action on the sidelines be half as exciting as on the pitch?

Who will be the Player of the Match? Park Ji-sung or Lionel Messi?

OR neither???  Or will the match boil down to which goalkeeper performs better?

       Given the record, can Korea play David to Argentina's Goliath?

      The suspense isn't killing me but it's enough to keep me glued to the TV today ( at least for the first half).

Predictions, anyone?

Update:
Sadly with the final score at 4-1 (with the Argentinians dominating the game and an own goal even conceded by the Koreans), it wasn't a case of David vs Goliath after all. More like, an ordinary day for Goliath or was it David on an off-day?
sources:
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/06/17/2010061700397.html
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2921964
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2921916

Everland Penguins Get World Cup Fever

First , Santas and now, contenders for the World Cup. The penguins don't look like they're complaining but I'd like to know if they put up a fight when they had to be decked out in national colours for this occasion. How does one put the soccer jersey on a penguin without being pecked with that pretty sharp bill? ( Some staff  in Everland must be getting pretty adept at dressing these critters. ) At least these players won't be peeing in their pants and I don't suppose any of these bird brains would mistake a mini ball for an egg.

Caption from KBS World: "Jackass" penguins wearing red uniforms from South Africa are playing soccer with a mini Jabulani World Cup ball at Everland theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province on June third. The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is slated to open on June eleventh.(Yonhap News)


source:
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/news_photo_detail.htm?No=14950

How To Break A Watermelon With A Shuttlecock

Still on badminton but totally trivial this time.  Here are two videos featuring the Korean pair who won an Olympic Gold medal for mixed doubles in the Beijing 2008 Summer Games. Lee Hyojung and Lee Yongdae appear here on an Infinity Challenge TV show ( 2008). Did anybody record the speed of Lee's impressive smash when he slammed the shuttlecock into the watermelon? Flying shuttlecocks have been known to exceed 200km/hr.


Watermelon Cracked by Shuttlecock - Watch more Funny Videos

Caption from China's People Daily: Lee Hyojung and Lee Yongdae of South Korea stand on podium during victory ceremony of mixed doubles gold medal match of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games badminton event in Beijing, China, Aug. 17, 2008. Lee Hyojung and Lee Yongdae of South Korea won the match over Widianto Nova and Liliyana of Indonesia and got the gold medal.

source:
http://www.break.com/index/watermelon-cracked-by-shuttlecock.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGzXiHPn3vE
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90779/94835/6478399.html

Masan Ladies Make History

It's such a shame. I've checked a couple of Korean on-line newspapers ( in English) but none have featured the recent triumph of the Korean women's badminton team in the recent Uber Cup Championships held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Sports in Korea seems to be dominated by football, golf, baseball and ice-skating ( not necessarily in that order) and to my surprise, there's not even a mention of the achievements of the ladies who hail from Masan and how they've beaten the Chinese team in the badminton finals in this prestigious tournament in the world of badminton.

Let me quote the head coach, Kim Jong Soo to sum up this milestone: "This is a historic day for Korean badminton. We reached the finals five times before and we were beaten in all five by China. But today it was a different story, we were not the second fiddle.We've had enough of losing to the Chinese. The players were determined to break the jinx and we did it in Kuala Lumpur."

Just hope there'll be some welcoming committee for the ladies when they get back to Korea. It's a pity that badminton isn't such a glamorous sport as ice-skating but then again, who ever said that life was fair?


Here are the results:
Bae Seung Hee beat Wang Yihan 23-21, 21-11;
Lee Hyo Jung/Kim Min Jung beat Ma Jin/Wang Xiaoli 18-21, 21-12, 21-15;
Sung Ji Hyun lost to Wang Xin 14-21, 21-16, 7-21;
Lee Kyung Won/Ha Jung Eun beat Du Jing/Yu Yang 19-21, 21-14, 21-19.



sources:
http://badmintonlife.com/2010/thomas-and-uber-cup-2010-korea-stuns-china-to-win-uber-cup/
http://www.badzine.info/index.php/news/international/2508-fast-facts-about-the-2010-uber-cup.html
http://www.mysinchew.com/node/39072
http://sports.globaltimes.cn/moresports/2010-05/532085.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXyA1mgbJLM&feature=related

Kim Yu-na Skates To Brown-Eyed Girls

Seoul is a pretty happening place this weekend. Aside from YoYo Ma's Silk Road Project, there's also another musical collaboration going on with  Festa on Ice 2010 featuring Kim Yu-na. Kim and other ice-skaters from different countries  will be performing in the Olympic Gymnasium in Seoul Olympic Park between 16th and 18th April. Forget though about getting tickets. They are all sold out, apparently.

Look forward to seeing a posting on YouTube of Kim Yu-na skating to the music of Brown-Eyed Girls. Aprt from her favourite girl group's hit, Abracadabra, Kim will also perform to their other songs, Jump and Magic.  I only just saw the MV of this song lately and after more googling, am struck by the dramatic contrast in the appearance of the BEG ladies. What a difference two years,  changes in hairstyle and make-up can do. See for yourself with the two MVs below.



Now, brace yourself for a VERY DIFFERENT BEG ( if you haven't already seen this elsewhere which would surprise me).




Sources:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2919188
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut7bCEcRcnU&nofeather=True
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvBikv7PHJI&nofeather=True
http://www.korea.net/detail.do?guid=45401&thiscode=eng010003&mode=popup&TB_iframe=true&height=420&width=700

Park Ji Sung's Fighting!

He’s struggled with rejection simply because he was considered too short( only 5 feet 8 inches) to make it big on the soccer pitch. He’s experienced disappointment when relegated to the bench for many matches and sometimes even passed over for other players even though he’s proven to be a strong team player. He’s had to live with the pain from a knee injury and operation and perhaps even worse, the humiliation from rude club supporters of PSV Eindhoven who thought it was a waste to bring him to Europe. He’s struggled to master English in his determination to play for Man Utd.

Back home, he’s affectionately known as Mickey Mouse or Sweet Potato. Among his teammates, he’s “Three Lungs” and “Oxygen Tank”. Rio Ferdinand who captained the Manchester United team in Moscow describes him as a “real player’s player”. Gus Hiddink, his former coach, expressed his appreciation for the way he does “dirty work for the bigger stars”. He also acknowledged how this smart player who’s very determined “is tireless and can go for 90 minutes”. His present boss, Alex Ferguson characterises him as “a bright little lad (whose) courage got him the goal.” His Man U fans have a ditty based on the tune of Achy Breaky Heart dedicated to him, “ If you sell my Park, my lovely Ji Sung Park, you’re gonna have a riot on your hands.”

Early on, he had told his father he wanted to play for Man Utd and no other club – “even if I have to sit on the bench. I want to learn.” When he was dropped from the final match in the European Cup tournament in Moscow and his team won, he simply said, “ The team won so I am happy. Personally it is frustrating not to play in such a big game. But there will be other opportunities.” The modest and hard-working boy from Suwon has already won international fame and considerable fortune but is apparently planning to spend his retirement coaching young Koreans in his own football academy in Gyeonggi-do. Now, THAT’s more impressive than his recent header that gave Man Utd sweet victory over its long-time rivals.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Park_Ji-Sung
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/mar/01/park-ji-sung-manchester-united
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/manchester_united/article7070431.ece
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1259581/Manchester-United-2-Liverpool-1-Park-Ji-sung-heads-champions-Liverpool-suffer-10th-defeat.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/21/manchester-united-liverpool-premier-league

Letter to Ajummas Who Want Their Daughters To Be Like Kim Yuna

Dear ajummas,
From the youtube clip here, there seems to be a growing trend in which some parents may be pushing their children onto the ice-rinks in the hopes that their children can copy the phenomenal sporting cum commercial success of Kim Yuna.
This is an appeal to ajummas harbouring such ambitions, please don't kill your child's interest in the sport. Take a closer look at her ankles and medical records and ask yourself if that's what you want for your child.
Don't want to take anything away from Queen Yuna's achievement but I'd be more assured if little girls in Korea want to be the best that they can be in whatever they're good at and in whatever they enjoy instead of copies of 2010's Olympic gold medallist in skating for women.
Sincerely,
ajumma