While the Korean national soccer team won 2:1 against Australia in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup, an image of Korean fans cleaning up trash in the stands after the game was shared on the Internet.
On the 3rd (local time), Qatari sports media ‘Al Qas TV’ said through its He uploaded a video of Korean fans picking up fallen trash.
On this day, the Korean national soccer team advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 comeback win over Australia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup held at Al Wakrah Al Janoub Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
The video showed some Korean fans carrying large trash bags in their hands and picking up trash that had fallen in the stands after the game.
Korean fans placed hand flags, snack bags, beverage cups, and plastic bottles into garbage bags. Netizens who saw the video said, “It’s amazing. “I respect Korean fans,” he said.
When this video was shared, the Japanese sports media ‘Football Zone’ published an article on the same day titled “‘Amazing’ Japanese cultural impact.”
The media claimed that the act of Korean fans picking up trash left in the stands was “a result of the spread of Japanese culture.”
Football Zone said, “Japanese fans often attracted attention by picking up trash or cleaning up after games at major tournaments such as the World Cup,” and added, “The behavior of Japanese fans in the stadium has become an example all over the world.”
He continued, “(Japanese fans) received compliments such as ‘I respect Japanese culture’ and ‘Japanese people are amazing,’ and I was able to see this spreading to fans in other countries,” he said. “At this Asian Cup, Korean fans also (Japanese fans) and) Likewise, they showed picking up trash and cleaning it up,” he claimed.
He added, “The culture of picking up trash after games is steadily spreading.”
This is not the first time Football Zone has made such a claim. In November 2021, after the Japanese national soccer team won 1-0 over Vietnam in the 5th match of Group B of the 2022 Qatar World Cup Asian final qualifying round, the media showed an official of the Japanese national soccer team picking up water bottles used by not only Japanese players but also Vietnamese players at the stadium. The report claimed, “The actions of the Japanese national soccer team staff after the Vietnam War are attracting attention.”
He also said, “Other countries in Asia should learn from this kind of behavior,” adding, “There is continued praise from overseas, saying it is a beautiful sight.”
Choi Jae-ho,
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.