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BAYERN LIFE 6February 2February 2025
Ji-hong and Young-eun stroll through the Jongno clubbing district in Seoul .
strength of FC Bayern . The fans also want to shine a spotlight on women in football , who , according to Kay , ” still have too little visibility “. They began as a loose online group of a few like-minded fans and are now an officially registered Bayern fan club with over 70 members .
Since Kay became a football fan around ten years ago , the Korean has regularly had to listen to sarcastic comments . First from her professor at university , then later from colleagues in the office . ” Why are you interested in football ?“ they say . Or : ” Do you even know what offside is ?“ Kay is sure that ” every female football fan in South Korea has to listen to the same comments .“ But she is not deterred : she sticks to her passion for football – and has not been alone for quite some time . In 2014 , she was watching the World Cup on TV – rather casually , to distract herself from the stress of her final exams at university – where Germany were playing Algeria . The very second Thomas Müller waved into the camera with a smile while singing the national anthem , Kay was hooked . ” I liked him immediately ,“ she says , ” and after the World Cup I asked myself which games I needed to watch to see more of Thomas Müller . I ‘ ve been an FC Bayern fan ever since .“ In 2019 , she and two friends finally founded South Korea ‘ s first all-female FC Bayern fan club . ” Red Light Korea “ is a kind of safe space where female fans can share their passion for football without having to worry about annoying comments . The name was chosen purposely , as the colour red stands for luck and prosperity in East Asia – and of course also symbolises the
Neon light , pop music and football
On an early summer evening , we meet Kay and her Red Light friends in the fashionable Ikseon neighbourhood in Seoul . While the first market traders begin setting up their food stalls , we stroll through the narrow , neon-lit alleyways of the former working-class neighbourhood . There are probably few places in the world where the past , present and future collide like this . It is a pop culture maelstrom . There are the older gentlemen in stylish dandy suits who frequent the surrounding seniors ’ discos and enjoy a couple of drinks . Just a few steps away , girls in school uniforms are taking elaborate selfies with their matcha lattes . And in the middle of it all , hundreds of office workers sit at plastic tables on the street and celebrate the end of their working day with grilled fish , kimchi sides and soju schnapps . Here , student Young-eun relates her story . She became interested in football during the 2018 World Cup in Russia when South Korea knocked Germany out of the tournament in the group stage . Given that the Bundesliga was the only European league being shown on free TV , she was soon watching her first Bayern matches . And then she searched for interviews with the players on YouTube . ” I was particularly impressed by the team ‘ s mentality ,“ says Young-eun . ” Bayern are self-confident , but never arrogant after a win . That impressed me .“ Because she wanted to understand her idols like Joshua Kimmich or Manuel Neuer in their native language , she
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