SEOUL, 23 June — Millions of South Korean soccer fans screamed, cried and roared themselves hoarse yesterday after their team’s nail-biting World Cup quarterfinal victory over Spain.
Fans dressed in red and pumped up from a high-octane party even before kick-off sang victory chants and screamed “Dae Han Min Kuk” (Republic of Korea) in the heart of Seoul as they celebrated their side beating Spain on penalties to become the first Asian team to reach the World Cup semifinals.
Police said some 4.5 million — about 10 percent of the country’s 48 million population — clogged the country’s streets to watch Dutch-born coach Guus Hiddink’s team slay another soccer giant and rewrite history for the second time in five days.
“There is nothing better than this feeling. We’ll party all night long,” said Noh Yu-sook, a 38-year-old Seoul woman.
Multicolored fireworks whizzed into the air, confetti fluttered from office blocks and a giant banner of Hiddink was unfurled from one building in central Seoul amid wild scenes. “Let’s go to Yokohama!” read the wording on the giant banner, which showed Hiddink in silhouette executing his trademark uppercut celebratory punch. Yokohama is the city in co-host Japan where the final will be played on June 30.
Pumping pop music accompanied 1.9 million people in the capital’s central Kwanghwamoon area. Fans, almost all in red team T-shirts, hugged each other and danced the conga. Many people were sending text messages or phoning friends on mobile phones, a ubiquitous feature of life in tech-savvy South Korea.
“I feel like I’m dreaming,” said Suh Sung-won, 34. “I bet we will go to the final. The Korean team is invincible.”
“Hiddink, I love you!” screamed college student Yun Eun-hee.
South Korea beat Spain 5-3 on penalties after the match ended goalless at the end of extra time. They will play Germany in the semifinals in Seoul on June 25, normally a somber day when South Korea remembers the blitz invasion by communist North Korean troops that started the Korean War in 1950.
One of the abiding images of the World Cup has been the vast crowds of high-spirited but orderly “Red Devil” fans at stadiums and cities. They have even cleared up litter after the partying.
Police estimated there were 500,000 people out for the South Korea-Poland match, 770,000 for the game against the United States, 2.79 million for the clash with Portugal and 4.20 million when South Korea beat Italy 2-1 to reach the final eight.
As the Korean players converted one after another of their penalty kicks, a smile broke out on the normally impassive face of President Kim Dae-jung, who attended the match in Kwangju, capital of his political powerbase south-western Korea region. Until yesterday’s triumph, Kwangju was best known for tragedy, as the city where a pro-democracy uprising in 1980 was crushed by elite commandos, killing several hundred citizens.
Kim, 77, sees himself as cheerleader-in-chief but has had precious little to smile about away from the pitch this month.
He appeared on television on Friday to apologize for a scandal that has marred his last year in office and ensnared two of his three sons.
“I am ashamed and feel guilty about not being able to take care of my sons properly,” said Kim, a former dissident who battled military rule and was jailed for his fight for democracy.
One of his sons was arrested on Friday and the other last month on influence-peddling and other charges. Both are in the same Seoul suburb prison, where they were permitted to watch the match on television with other inmates.
