First lady Kim Jung-sook cheers for Team Korea during the para ice hockey mixed semifinals match between Korea and Canada at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, at the Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangwon-do on March 15. (Kim Sunjoo)
By Korea.net PyeongChang Special Report Team
Gangneung | March 16, 2018
There is one person visiting the Paralympic stadiums and cheering for the Korean athletes every day.
It’s the wife of President Moon Jae-in, first lady Kim Jung-sook.
As expected, Kim visited the Gangneung Hockey Centre to cheer for Team Korea in the para ice hockey mixed semifinals match between Korea and Canada on March 15.
Kim appeared shortly after the game began and greeted the families of the ice hockey players Jang Dong-shin and Lee Ji-hoon, and then she settled in to concentrate on the match. When the crowds started to cheer, even before she put down her bag, she hurriedly took out her glasses to catch up with the on-ice action.
As the Korean athletes advanced, she clenched her fists, gave the thumbs up, and cheered loudly. When they missed a goal, she was disappointed together with the crowds.
First lady Kim Jung-sook waves to the crowds at the para ice hockey mixed semifinals match between Korea and Canada, during the PyeongChang 2018 Parlympic Winter Games, at the Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangwon-do. (Cheong Wa Dae)
The crowds were amazed and happy at the same time to see the first lady.
Kim So-young, who came from Daejeon to see the game with her family, said, “I’m very grateful that she came to watch the Paralympics, since the Paralympics don’t get as much attention as the Olympics. It felt like we enjoyed the game together, since we were able to see her closely in-person and take pictures together.”
Park Chun Bong, a teacher at the Seoul Jeongmun School, a school for students with learning disabilities, came to watch the game with his students. He said, “The way she watches the game and cheers for the team looked nice and humble.” He laughed as he added, “Next time, I’d like to visit Cheong Wa Dae for a field trip with our students.”
Even in situations where security might not be the most secure, because of many people in one localized area, first lady Kim actively talked with the people around her. When people walked up to her, they were blocked by her security detail, but the first lady made sure that, in the end, they were able to take selfies with her.
It wasn’t only the locals who were interested by her presence at the game.
Jeremy Henry and a friend of his from Canada went up to the first lady to take a commemorative photo with her. However, they weren’t able to because of the huge crowd around her. Nonetheless, Kim noticed them and posed for a picture with them.
Henry, who could not hide his joy after getting the photograph, said, “Korea is a very lovely country,” and added with a big smile that, “Everyone I met in Korea, including the first lady, is kind.”
On the other hand, there were high school students who were on a field trip and they didn’t all recognize the first lady, who was sitting nearby. They asked why so many people were gathered around her.
Jang Dong Shin’s wife, Bae Hye Sim, who watched the game together with the first lady, said, “Actually, only the families of the players cheered for the team until now. I was concerned that it would be the same case this time, again. I’m very glad that the first lady showed an interest, and subsequently an increasing number of channels showed the game.”
Bae said she and her daughter met the first lady at a film preview of “Parallel” (2014) on Feb. 19. “The first lady remembered my daughter’s name and called her by name, as she gave cookies to her as a present. I was very touched by how she took care of us, ever so dearly. Please share this story in the article,” she said.
First lady Kim Jung-sook poses for a commemorative photo with visitors at the Alpensia Biathlon Centre. (Kim Sunjoo)
Ahead of the Opening Ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games on March 9, first lady Kim said in a written brief that she would watch as many matches as possible during the Paralympics. She has kept this pledge, too, by attending the men’s 7.5 km and women’s 6.5 km sprint biathlon finals on March 10, the para ice hockey match between Korea and the Czech Republic on March 11, the wheelchair curling match between Korea and Switzerland on March 13, and the para ice hockey match between Korea and Canada on March 15.
jesimin@korea.kr
