Associated Press: South Korea reacts to Yu Na Kim's win | Golden Skate

Associated Press: South Korea reacts to Yu Na Kim's win

DesertRoad

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
An informative article on the cultural phenomenon that is Yu Na Kim in her home country:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/skorea.celebrates.ap/

For instance, did you know that stock trading in South Korea took a dip during the few minutes or so that Yu Na Kim was skating her short program? Apparently all the stockbrokers abandoned their money-grubbing to watch her skate. You can also see a picture of a massive crowd that gathered to watch her skate celebrates after she wins.

Edited to add: This article from Deutsche Presse-Agentur confirms that trading was halved during Yu Na's free skate as well.
 
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katymay

Medalist
Joined
Mar 7, 2006
An informative article on the cultural phenomenon that is Yu Na Kim in her home country:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/skorea.celebrates.ap/

For instance, did you know that stock trading in South Korea took a dip during the few minutes or so that Yu Na Kim was skating her short program? Apparently all the stockbrokers abandoned their money-grubbing to watch her skate. You can also see a picture of a massive crowd that gathered to watch her skate celebrates after she wins.

Edited to add: This article from Deutsche Presse-Agentur confirms that trading was halved during Yu Na's free skate as well.

Holy Cow. That is pressure.
 

Gymfan15

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Incredible.

I do think that it has been hard people outside of Asia to understand just how BIG Yu Na Kim is in Korea. She's like Michael Phelps...no, I'd say she's BIGGER than Michael Phelps. Here in North America, I know it's hard to grasp that kind of...overwhelming sense. I know people throw around phrases like "the entire country behind him/her", but she literally had all of Korea watching her with bated breath last night. It's just incredible.

But the pressure...oh my. No wonder Yu Na Kim burst into tears after her free skate. She was probably just thrilled that she wasn't going to get massacred by an entire country later on if she'd done poorly!
 

Wrlmy

Medalist
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
^ I thought the tears were for finally conquering her own demons and rising to the occasion.
 

Fan123

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
Aw, that is awesome! Does anyone know if the North Koreans know who Kim is and what she has done at these Olympics?
 

Gymfan15

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
^ I thought the tears were for finally conquering her own demons and rising to the occasion.

My comment was slightly tongue-in-cheek. Of course I'm sure that was a very personal, emotional moment for Yu Na. But I'm sure that some of them were just relief that she'd gotten through the program. Nothing glamorous in that. ;)
 

christinaskater

Medalist
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Congratulations to Yu-Na for winning the Olympic gold medal! So well-deserved

She gave the 2 best performances of her life when she needed to deliver it the most!

I think she was really tearful after achieving her lifelong dream of being an Olympic champion and to have all the pressure of her shoulders!


She also delivered one of the best performances in the history of figure skating!!!! She was simply exquisite!!!!!!!

She had ease, speed, incredible musicality, great amplitude to all of her jumps, exquisite spins and the heart of a champion!


For me this was a win for herself, her mom, Korea, a redemption for Brian Orser and also for her idol Michelle Kwan! Michelle being the reason why she got into skating!
 

DesertRoad

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
If anybody has more articles about how Yu Na Kim's is regarded in South Korea, please do post them! I find it fascinating from a sociological point of view. It's very rare that an athlete has this kind of pull in a country. I can't think of too many comparisons. Maybe Usain Bolt in Jamaica? It's even rarer for that athlete to be female. I think Yu Na may be the first woman to be in this kind of situation. It definitely merits studying.
 

Lotta

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
* I don't think even Michelle Kwan had that kind of "country gets together" love when she skated in Salt Lake. O____O

But then again South Korea is a small country. When you're from a small country you get noticed like you'll be noticed if you're from a small town.
 
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DesertRoad

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Er... what? South Korea is 25th in the world in population. It's got more people than Canada, Australia, Spain and Ukraine. It is not a small country. The country has plenty of superstar athletes already. Yu Na Kim's success there is unique and a phenomenon.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
If anybody has more articles about how Yu Na Kim's is regarded in South Korea, please do post them! I find it fascinating from a sociological point of view.

In related news, a Korean citizen was just arrested for threatening to bomb the Australian embassy, and there is a national movement afoot to boycott Australian goods, after an Australian referee disqualified the Korean ladies' speed skating team. (The ISU relieved him of further officiating duties for the rest of the games for his own safety.)
 

DesertRoad

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
In related news, a Korean citizen was just arrested for threatening to bomb the Australian embassy, and there is a national movement afoot to boycott Australian goods, after an Australian referee disqualified the Korean ladies' speed skating team. (The ISU relieved him of further officiating duties for the rest of the games for his own safety.)

Not too surprised by that. After Korean hackers DOSed various Olympic and US websites after Ohno's win by a ref call in 2002. And luckily, no such ugliness is yet attached to Kim beyond the usual, harmless YouTube wars.
 
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Not too surprised by that. After Korean hackers DOSed various Olympic and US websites after Ohno's win by a ref call in 2002.

Interestingly enough, it was the same referee, James Hewish. I believe he served a two-year suspension from officiating at ISU events.
 

DesertRoad

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Interestingly enough, it was the same referee, James Hewish. I believe he served a two-year suspension from officiating at ISU events.

He was suspended and they let him back? Looks like the ISU is just as corrupt on the speedskating side. But if his call was bad enough to warrant a suspension, shouldn't the gold medal have been given back to the Korean skater?
 

bethissoawesome

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
If anybody has more articles about how Yu Na Kim's is regarded in South Korea, please do post them! I find it fascinating from a sociological point of view. It's very rare that an athlete has this kind of pull in a country. I can't think of too many comparisons. Maybe Usain Bolt in Jamaica? It's even rarer for that athlete to be female. I think Yu Na may be the first woman to be in this kind of situation. It definitely merits studying.

A lot of it has to do with the celebrity culture there, which is also very similar in Japan. In Korea, celebrities are often lofted into very high positions politically as well... for example, Korean popstar BoA (best example I can give, because she was indisputably the most famous celebrity in Korea at a young age as well) served as cultural ambassador to the US at 15. Her fame in Korea became so astronomical, that she couldn't even live in the country and was unable to see her family for years at a time. Yu-Na is in a similar situation now... she has been put into the Korean spotlight, and they will expect a lot out of her. Unfortunately, it also doesn't take a whole lot for public opinion to change. When BoA announced she would release an album in the US instead of Korea one year, she lost all of her Korean endorsements except one, despite the fact that it seemed like people used to worship the ground she walked on. Hopefully, Yu-Na never finds herself in that position... if she had failed to medal, Korea's general opinion might have been along the lines of "she has been having too many photo shoot or press conferences to be taken seriously." The popularity Yu-Na has in Korea now is a very big burden; everything she does on or iff the ice will be disected and examined. Right now, she truly is their golden girl (and well deserved) and hopefully it stays that way.

Here is another article for you: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/feb/11/sports/la-sp-olympics-kim11-2010feb11 "Kim Yu-na has South Korea's full attention" from the Los Angeles Times
 

aurora100

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
An informative article on the cultural phenomenon that is Yu Na Kim in her home country:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/olympics/2010/02/26/skorea.celebrates.ap/

For instance, did you know that stock trading in South Korea took a dip during the few minutes or so that Yu Na Kim was skating her short program? Apparently all the stockbrokers abandoned their money-grubbing to watch her skate. You can also see a picture of a massive crowd that gathered to watch her skate celebrates after she wins.

Edited to add: This article from Deutsche Presse-Agentur confirms that trading was halved during Yu Na's free skate as well.

The photo of these old men watching figure skating is priceless. The celebrity of Yuna Kim in Korea is incomparable to anything in the US or Canada. It's not a fame of a loved movie star. Koreans love and protect Yuna like she is their own daughter, sister or grand-daughter. They feel nationalism through her as though she has landed on the mooon for the first time because they know she is single handedly breaking the trail in a sport where no other Korean has gone before. A sport where first world (Europe and the US) has excelled in throughout history. They are learning to love figure skating by watching her do it on the ice. They want to know everything about each piece of music she skates to and buy CD's of them. They take time to learn names of each jump she does. They admire her beauty and respect her athleticism. They are in love with her charism. It is almost like a cult of Yuna Kim. There is no one else to compare. Perhaps Pele of Soccer.
 

aurora100

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Aw, that is awesome! Does anyone know if the North Koreans know who Kim is and what she has done at these Olympics?

hardly doubt it. I remember reading a book by a Canadian journalist who were granted a visit in North Korea some time in the 80s. She showed her handler a photo of Elvis Presley, Princess Diana and Pope John Paul. The handler did not know who any of these were in the photos so isolated they were from the rest of the world.
 
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