Morale booster
Pak's win brings badly needed lift to South Korean pride
Posted: Tuesday July 07, 1998 01:28 AM
| |
Millions of Koreans stayed up through the night to watch on television as the 20-year-old Pak claimed her second major title this year (AP) |
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Red and yellow banner newspaper
headlines proclaimed Se Ri Pak "Our Hope, Our Encouragement."
From President Kim Dae-jung to ordinary citizens who wouldn't
know a birdie from a bogey, South Koreans rejoiced Tuesday over
Pak's victory in the U.S. Women's Open.
With their once mighty economy in shambles, South Koreans badly
needed a boost to their national morale and pride -- and Pak
delivered.
Millions of Koreans stayed up through the night to watch on
television as the 20-year-old LPGA tour rookie beat amateur Jenny
Chuasiriporn in a sudden death playoff to win the tournament -- and
their hearts.
"With all the Korean people, I express my joy over your
victory," the president said in a congratulatory telegram. He
called her "a hero of this era and our hope."
"I have never been so proud of being a Korean," Lee Sang-bae,
a Seoul businessman, said with a big smile.
"She was the best news South Korea has had this year," the
national news agency Yonhap quoted South Korean ambassador to the
United States Lee Hong-koo as saying in Washington.
South Korea has had bad news galore since the country sought a
$58 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund in
December. The jobless rate has doubled. Thousands of businesses go
bankrupt each month. Suicides have increased by 37 percent, to 25 a
day.
Koreans seeking a morale boost in sports initially pinned their
hopes on the national soccer team's performance in the World Cup in
France. It disappointed them, going 0-2-1 and not advancing to the
second round.
Then, millions of eyes turned to Pak. For weeks in advance,
television stations advertised her participation in the U.S. Open.
She had won the McDonald's LPGA Championship in May, but many
wondered if that had been a fluke.
Pak became the first rookie to win two majors since 1984.
"It's amazing that she could handle such enormous pressure. She
played cool," said Kim Woon-yong, chairman of the Korean Sports
Council.
Probably the happiest of all was the giant Samsung conglomerate,
Pak's corporate sponsor. It has hit a publicity bonanza, with the
news media dubbing Pak "the most competitive product South Korea
has ever shipped abroad."
As Pak's success grew, the Samsung logo on her hat and shirts
grew bigger as well.
On Tuesday, Samsung said it planned to launch a new sports wear
brand - SERIPAK.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
