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As political unrest intensifies at home, Korean footballers play on in Spain

Published: 04 Dec. 2024, 11:03 Updated: 04 Dec. 2024, 16:59

JIM BULLEY
[email protected]

Korea's Lim Seon-joo, center, duels for the ball with Canada's Olivia Smith during an international friendly at the Pinatar Arena Football Center in Spain on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]

The Korean national women’s football team faced Canada on Tuesday night in a friendly overshadowed by the political turmoil 10,000 kilometers away in Seoul.

Tuesday’s game, in San Pedro del Pinatar in Spain, kicked off at 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning in Korea, three hours after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and one hour after lawmakers defied that order and voted to overturn it despite efforts from both police and the military to prevent them accessing the National Assembly.

To what extent the team in Spain were aware of the unfolding situation back home is unclear as of press time, but it is highly likely that the Korean players stepped on to that pitch in the knowledge that Yoon had unexpectedly declared marshal law despite criticism from both sides of the aisle.

It is equally likely that the players did not know that the National Assembly had intervened and had to play the full 90 minutes without knowing what exactly was happening on the streets of Seoul, how serious the situation was and whether there was any reason to worry about friends and family members.

This is speculation, but it is likely: Players are typically required to put away their phones ahead of matches to focus on warm-ups and locker room discussions. Yoon’s announcement, three hours before the game, and the news that police and the military were attempting to block access to the National Assembly likely broke early enough for the players to see, but the news that the National Assembly had intervened, one hour before kick-off, was probably too late.

All of this combines to create a very difficult environment to play a football match in. Add to that the strength of the Canadian women’s football team, ranked at No. 6 in the world to Korea’s 19, and things do not look good.

Canada's Jessie Fleming, right, vies for the ball with Korea's Han Chae-rin during an international friendly at the Pinatar Arena Football Center in Spain on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]

It was, unsurprisingly, a very one-sided match — although not until the second half.

Korea held the Canadian onslaught off for most of the opening frame, conceding a single goal own goal from captain Lim Seon-joo to end the first half down 1-0.

But Canada piled on after the break. Marie-Yasmine Alidou and Olivia Smith combined to make it 3-0 by the 60th minute, with Lee Hyok-yung pulling one back in the 76th minute.

The reprieve was short lived. Vanessa Giles pushed the Canadian tally to four in the 78th minute, with substitute Adriana Leon adding one more in stoppage time for a final score at 5-1.

Notably absent in the loss was the majority of the Korean overseas contingent — Birmingham City players Lee Geum-min, Chae Yu-ri and Cho So-hyun and Angel City FC wunderkind Casey Phair were all excluded from the squad, and Ji So-yun, the highest scoring Korean footballer ever, spent the first 61 minutes on the bench.

Tuesday’s game caps off 2024 for the women’s national team. They had earlier faced Spain in another friendly on Nov. 29, losing 5-0.

BY JIM BULLEY [[email protected]]