A Brief Background about the Intense Football Rivalry between South Korea and Japan

Football is at the top of many South Koreans’ list of favorite sports, and it’s likely that bettors look for more football betting markets in online sportsbooks. More so if a match will have South Korea’s football players pitting skills against Japan’s football team, as the intense rivalry between the two countries has been closely monitored.

Actually, South Koreans have been proving for years that they are better at football than the Japanese, as the rivalry between them is rooted in Japan’s dark history as a colonizer. During Imperial Japan’s colonization of South Korea, subjugation went beyond forcing Korean men to serve in the Japanese military or working in Japanese mines. It went as far as forcing Korean athletes to compete in behalf of Japan, by assuming identity as a Japanese national, while using a Japanese name.

Winning was even more humiliating as South Korean athletes were forced to attribute their victory to Imperial Japan. During awarding ceremonies their medals were awarded while the Japanese flag was raised and the Japanese national anthem played That is why during Japan’s colonial rule, Korean football players were highly motivated to win against Japanese teams as a show of national identity.

However, the evident show of nationalist fervor among Korean football players raised concerns among Imperial authorities, which led to the closure of the Korean Soccer Federation.

The Rivalry Continued and Was Instrumental in Instilling a Sense of Nationalism Among Koreans

In the post-colonial era, the rivalry continued as South Koreans became wiser, wealthier and more protective of their national identity. SoKor media helped the government promote nationalistic solidarity through its promotions of such sporting events. Continuing the intense sports rivalry between South Korea and Japan became necessary tools in reminding South Korean citizens to stand united against emerging world powers coveting the nation’s economic successes.

Since 1953, as many as 80 official football competitions saw South Korean and Japanese national football teams play against each other. The sports confrontations were given the local term haniljeon (한일전/韓日戰), which in context simply means a football match between South Korea and Japan. Simply using the term in a toto betting site or 토토사이트, will immediately whet the appetite of South Korea’s football enthusiasts.

After all, of the 80 officially recorded haniljeon, South Korea’s national football team won 42, while the Japanese national team won only 15. Twenty -three of the matches resulted in a draw. What many ROK citizens considered as the ultimate victory was the 17th FIFA World Cup in 2002, which the two countries hosted.

While Japan failed to qualify after losing in Round 16, South Korea made record for being the first Asian team to make it to the World Cup semifinals. It was the ultimate haniljeon victory since the South Koreans beat the Japanese team in their own territory.