The words "Anyoung hasayo?" spoken in slightly accented Korean by Super Bowl hero Hines Ward kicked off a press conference on Tuesday, the first formal event during the half-Korean athlete¡¯s 10 day visit to the country of his birth. The football star told reporters he used to be embarrassed by his Korean origins when he was young but had now become proud of his heritage. Since he is a mixture of Korea and America, he said, he felt half of who he is was in this country. Visiting with his Korean mother, Ward expressed interest in learning more about the local culture before he returns to the U.S.
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The visiting U.S. Super Bowl star Hines Ward smiles as he waves to reporters after a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday morning. /Yonhap
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Ward was unruffled and ready with a smile whenever a blizzard of flashbulbs went off in a venue crowded with some 200 reporters, including crews from abroad, and 40 TV cameras. But while the footballer was keen to express his excitement about all things Korean, his mother, 59-year-old Kim Young-hee, was unable to conceal her emotion when the subject of mixed race came up. Ward¡¯s father was African American.
Asked about the most difficult experience of his life, Ward deferred to his mother, who he said suffered much more raising him on her own without help from anyone. He vowed to keep striving to make sure his mother is always proud of him. Ward revealed that Kim asked him to buy a home for the family in Korea but said this would have to wait until a planned return within the year when things have calmed down, since he is now receiving hospitality and has a hectic schedule.
The athlete also addressed the hottest topic his success at the Super Bowl and visit to Korea have generated: the treatment of children of mixed race. Ward said anyone had their share of difficulties, but those of mixed-race additionally face teasing and worse simply because their skin is a different color. But race, he stressed, has nothing to do with the relations between people. He admitted there was a time when this was a serious matter, but now he was able to joke with second-generation Korean American friends, challenging them to say who was the real Korean: they, who were born in the U.S., or Ward, who was at least born in Korea. He also revealed plans to set up a foundation for mixed-race children and their families here.
After the press conference, Ward had lunch with President Roh Moo-hyun and the first lady at Cheong Wa Dae. Ward reportedly told the president Korea was very beautiful country, and he especially enjoyed the pine trees lining the avenue toward Cheong Wa Dae. One regret, he said, was that he never learned Korean, adding he would like to speak in Korean with his mother from now on. The athlete gave the president an American football and a jersey with his number.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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