Australian-Korean fans divided by team loyalties in 2015 Asian Cup

World Today

Choosing what team to cheer for is not as easy as one might think for some Australian fans of the Asian Cup, as more than a quarter of Australians were actually born in another country. CCTV’s Greg Navarro reported the story from Sydney.

Tosung restaurant in the west of Sydney’s is known for some of the best Korean barbecue in the area, but the food has recently taken a back seat to football’s Asian Cup.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to watch these games in Australia because it’s happening in Australia,” Korean supporter Jake Joo said.

The question of who to back in the games was not as easy to answer for immigrants in the Cup’s host nation. Many questioned whether to support the country they were born in or the country they currently called home.

“Difficult question, I love Australia, I call Australia my second home,” Korean supporter Stephen Kim said.

The real test of allegiance for a lot of those fans happened the previous week when South Korea faced Australia at Suncorp Stadium and walked away with a 1-0 victory.

“To be honest I support — myself and my wife support — Korea, and I have asked my daughter, which team do you want to support? And she wanted to support Aussie because she was born here and there was a bit of an argument, but we decided to respect her choice,” Joo said.

Those old enough to remember living in their birth country have said it’s not always a matter of choosing sides with their heads, but their hearts.

“I’ll be honest I support South Korea, are you disappointed?” Korean supporter Auke Song said.

The choice facing many of these Korean-born Aussies is not likely to get any easier, as both teams could face each other again in the finals.