Guadalajara Feels Like Home: Mexican Fans Cheer for South Korea

[Anchor]

The stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, where the match was held yesterday (June 12), felt just like a home game for our national team. It wasn't just the local Korean community and Korean fans; Mexican fans also joined in, providing overwhelming support and encouragement for our team.

Here is a report by Choi Seung-hoon.

[Reporter]

Even before the match began, the area around the Guadalajara stadium was a sea of red Korean jerseys and green Mexican jerseys.

[Korea! Korea!]

[Gabriel / Mexican soccer fan: South Korea is a really good team. Tonight, Korea will beat the Czech Republic.]

Fans who traveled from Korea to watch the World Cup were surprised by the tremendous hospitality of the Mexican fans.

[Hyun Yu-jeong / Korean soccer fan: I didn't know that Mexican people liked Koreans so much. I'm so happy. Since we are playing here in Mexico today, I really feel like Korea is going to win.]

The support for our national team stems from the memory of the "Miracle of Kazan" at the 2018 Russia World Cup, where Korea's 2-0 victory over Germany helped Mexico reach the round of 16, combined with the growing affection for Korea amid the recent Hallyu (Korean Wave) boom.

Once the match started, even our players were amazed.

With the crowd cheering so lopsidedly in our favor, it felt like a home game, which gave the players an extra boost to pull off a thrilling comeback.

[Oh Hyeon-gyu / National soccer team forward: From the first half, many Mexican fans were shouting "Korea." It was a driving force that helped us run harder, and I'd say it was the secret to our victory...]

After Korea completed its comeback, a joyful festival broke out outside the stadium.

Mexican and Korean fans mingled, singing and dancing together. Many Korean fans were even hoisted into the air by Mexican fans in celebration.

[Rodolfo Bocho / Mexican soccer fan: When it became 1-1, I was happy, and when it became 2-1, I was truly happy. We are family now. I am now Mexican-Korean!]

The night in Guadalajara was hot and festive, fueled by the passion of Mexicans who shared the joy of victory with the Korean people.

(Video reporting: Hwang In-seok, Video editing: Wi Won-yang)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.