The amount of tap water used before and after Korea’s first match in the World Cup with Togo on Tuesday night is just another gauge for how obsessive Koreans were in watching the match.

According to Daegu Metropolitan City Waterworks Headquarters, the amount was 39,200 tons before the match started, 33,000 tons during the first half of the game, 37,700 tons during the 10 minutes of half-time, 30,000 tons during the second half of the game when Korea came from behind to beat Togo, and 39,300 tons after the game finished. The city calculated the amount by measuring the amount used momentarily and multiplying it by a conversion factor for an hour’s use. If the amount before the game is set at 100, it dwindled to 84, soaring to 96 during the half-time toilet break, before dropping to 77 during the next 45 minutes and recovering to 100 after the game.

Waterworks said exact statistics are technically difficult to compile, but offered a general analysis. “It seems that people hurried to do the dishes before the match started, responded to nature’s calls during the half-time and took a shower or used the bathroom after the match,” it said.

(englishnews@chosun.com )