While communist countries once trained “gold medal machines” as if nurturing fighting dogs, it is not comparable to athletes in Korea. Some 47 million Koreans placed their hopes on the country's "players," and they fought desperately. “Spirit” was the word for Korean athletes.

Boxer Kim Deuk-gu ended his short life on the ring on November 4, 1982, after an intense match against Ray "boom boom" Mancini. Kim chose to continue fighting over giving up the WBA champion title, even if it meant his death. The ill-fated boxer’s misery ended when he was placed in a humble coffin in a foreign land, wearing a reporter’s tie.

Speed skater Yu Seon-hui was one of the medal favorites for the 500m in the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994. Growing up in a poor family in rural Yanggu, Gangwon Province, Yu, who suffered from bradycardia, broke the finish line fifth. When the gold medallist Bonnie Blair saluted the crowd, waving the Stars and Stripes, harshly tanned Yu was experiencing sudden nausea in the restroom. Yu squeezed out all her energy, and Koreans who watched her cried in sympathy.

Well, the times have changed, and some Korean athletes are rich and famous. Pro-golfer Pak Se-ri accumulated a fortune, and Major League pitcher Park Chan-ho is a baseball tycoon. However, it is still more common for sportsmen to overcome hardship and adversity.

Team Korea’s midfielder Lee Eul-yong was a third-rater by all means. Failing to go to college, Lee waited at a nightclub and worked as a construction worker after graduating from high school in 1994. Lee was selected to join the national team in August, 2001, but he was excluded twice from entry ever since. Even when Lee was hit in the vital opening match against Poland on June 4, he continued to dominate the field, because the symbol of Korea on his chest did not allowed him a rest.

The stars in the match against FIFA ranked number five Portugal were not from the elite, rather they are sportsmen from the underprivileged. Seol Ki-hyeon once ran away from his hometown Gangreung to escape from hard training, and worked at a shirt factory in Seoul. When Seol joined Belgium’s professional football league, he said his first goal was to buy an apartment for his mother.

Kim Nam-il, who also worked as a bar waiter when he was in high school, completely contained Portuguese striker Pauleta, and Song Chong-guk, who was unheralded until Guus Hiddink came to lead the team, was so effective in marking star midfielder Luis Figu, the latter lost his temper in frustration.

Portugal, once considered a cup favorite staffed with international stars who are worth hundreds of millions of dollars together, surrendered to the fresh Team Korea, who prioritize a group effort as opposed to individual talent. What made Korean players run? Korean’s unique perseverance and fortitude harvested the precious wins from nothing. With the world watching the East Asian countries hosting the most prestigious single sport competition, Korean players proved that the once-forgotten tradition is still alive, and were surprised at their own potential. June 16, 2002