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A group of volunteer workers made up of 300 ethnic Koreans from 28 countries came to South Korea in time for the 2002 World Cup finals are preoccupied with emotions because they have felt the pride about their parents home country with the national team's series of victories and enthusiastic cheering rallies.
Among them, some belong to the first generation of emigrants including 67-year-old Sujin Wood from Hawaii. Wood, a former nurse who flew to the United States 30 years ago took charge of welcoming VIPs at the Shilla Hotel on Jeju Island until June 17. She was supposed to work in dope testing on match days, but asked to work as part of the welcoming committee, noting that she didn't just want to work for four days after coming back to her birth place as a volunteer.
A New York City Hall official Hong Myeong-hun aged 51 took charge of cleaning the pressroom at the International Media Center in the COEX, Seoul during his three-week holiday in Seoul. On his first visit since emigration in 1974 said, the Korea he remembered that gave him heartfelt agony had disappeared.
Young second generation ethnic Koreans were also highly motivated; Hermiona Song and younger brother Franco from Venezuela, aged 26 and 24, are currently working for the medical and media teams at the Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul, respectively.
A mother and son Park Gyeong-ja and Park Woo-geun from Boston who closed her clothes store to volunteer and Jo Seong-juk aged 65 from Washington DC, who acted as stadium guides, while staying at an inn also left a deep impression on domestic volunteer workers.
A KOWOC official noted they were only paid W5,000 in traveling expenses and W6,000 for food, but everyone was impressed by their working harder than domestic workers.
(Lee Gil-seong, atticus@chosun.com )
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