"Korean Soccer Fans Clean Stadium Out of Respect for Japan"…Japanese Media's Absurd Report

Dramatic 2-1 Comeback Victory Against Australia in Quarterfinals
Japanese Media Focuses on Post-Match Cleanup

In the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup quarterfinals held at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, South Korea achieved a dramatic comeback victory against Australia. After the match, Korean fans were seen picking up trash left in the stands. Japanese sports media claimed this reflected "the spread of a culture that respects Japan."

According to sports circles on the 4th, the Japanese sports magazine 'Football Zone' introduced the Korea vs. Australia quarterfinal match under the headline "Amazing Japanese Culture Spreads."

The media stated, "Local Qatari media are paying attention to Korean fans picking up trash in the stadium after the match," and argued that this mature civic consciousness is "the result of the spread of Japanese culture."

In a video released on X by the Qatari local broadcaster 'Al Kass TV Sports,' mentioned by the media, some Korean fans can be seen carrying large trash bags and picking up trash left in the stands after the match.

They added, "When discussing scenes of picking up trash or cleaning after major tournaments like the World Cup, Japanese fans have often been highlighted," and "The behavior shown by Japanese fans in stadiums has been reported worldwide as a model."

The media continued, "This attitude has created praise such as 'Respect for Japanese culture' and 'Japanese people are amazing,'" and "It has also influenced fans from other countries. In this Asian Cup, Korean fans also showed the same behavior of picking up trash and cleaning. The culture of 'cleaning after the match' is steadily spreading."

Japanese netizens also responded by saying "Cleaning after the match is Japanese culture." They commented, "You should take your own trash with you. Japan can be said to have a high level of civility because all citizens practice this," and "Many foreigners say the streets are clean when they visit Japan. This is natural for Japanese people."

At the same time, some netizens expressed negative opinions about Korea, saying, "This time they cleaned happily after winning against Australia, but will they clean like the Japanese even if they lose?"

Korean netizens responded with comments such as, "There was no report that Japan cleaned the stadium after losing to Iran," "It's good to learn if it's good, but boasting about respecting their culture because of that is not great," and "How low must their self-esteem be to want to assert superiority like this?"

Meanwhile, having advanced to the semifinals, South Korea will face Jordan in the semifinals at Bin Ali Stadium at midnight on the 7th.

Jurgen Klinsmann, head coach of the national football team, said, "I am with fantastic players. The team atmosphere created by the players themselves is hard to put into words," and added, "The driving force behind the victory seems to be the earnest desire to bring the championship trophy to the people for the first time in 64 years."