Some 500,000 gathered for street celebrations in front of City Hall and on Gwanghwamun to cheer for the South Korean team. Thousands of red balloons in hope of victory were released with the start of the match amid a host of fireworks.

25 year-old student Park Su-hyeon said it was the last festival encouraging both players who did their utmost till the end and cheerers with the high spirit of citizenship, expressing little regret about not getting third place. The cheering rally in Gwanghwamun started with a prayer in memory of four sailors killed in the clash off the west sea. Yoon Do-hyun on the stage said he would sing for the dead before singing Arirang, followed by Lee Sunny who sang "Oh Victory Korea" as "Oh Peace Korea."

A 20 year-old college student Yu Ji-yeon said she could not believe the news report, about the West Sea exchange of fire, adding she was sad to hear the young dead people were the same age. Photo shooting in commemoration of street celebrations with no promise to come again was brisk and several foreigners watched the rally.

Kim Ju-cheol who went outside with his family said he recorded the look of his children on Gwanghwamun streets in a camcorder like being in a picnic. A sea of red packed famous sites for cheering rallies nationwide, including Busan Asiad Stadium, Jeonnam Province office area in Gwangju, the national park in Daegu, the horse track in Gyeonggi Province and sports complex in Gangreung. With soccer fans to watch the final match gathering in Daegu, flight and train tickets from Seoul to Daegu were sold out. (Jeong Woo-sang, imagine@chosun.com )