[JSRC] Korean soccer team allowed the least goals

Korean soccer team allowed the least goals of any world team in 2015

Since there will be no international soccer games for the rest of this year, South Korea has secured its place as the nation that gave up the least amount of goals around the world in 2015, with an average of 0.2 goals allowed per match. Remarkably, South Korea allowed only four goals in the twenty-plus matches it played this year. (Romania’s national team had allowed fewer goals than had South Korea’s before Romania’s game against the Italian team, which it lost 2-2.)
Just a year ago, the Korean national soccer team was having difficulty after its failure in the Brazil World Cup of 2014. This makes 2015’s success even more impressive. The performance of the Korean team has improved since Real Madrid legend Uli Stielike became its head coach in September 2014.
Indeed, no one expected that Korea would finish second in the Asian Cup in January of this year as players without experience on an international stage joined the Korean national team. In addition, South Korea’s sorry performance in the World Cup—0 wins, 1 draw, and 2 defeats—also did not bode well for the Korean team. Nevertheless, the Korean team proudly won the silver medal in the Asian Cup.
Another impressive fact is that Team Korea won 17 games without allowing a single goal. This is especially shocking once we remember how Korea played last year.
Of course, it’s hard to argue that Korea is one of the best teams in the world. Korea didn’t play games against strong European or American teams. Korea played against weaker Asian or Middle Eastern teams (Kuwait, Lebanon, etc.) The Korean team has lots of work to do to prepare for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But let’s not underestimate Korea’s performances, either: 2015 will be remembered as an exceptionally successful year for Korea’s national soccer team.

The Big Family Reunion

North Korea and South Korea held the first family reunion in three years from October 20th to 26th at Mt. Geumgang. Many family members cried tears of sadness upon seeing their loved ones, as they knew their reunion would last only a short time. But the unification of North and South Korea isn’t only the problem of these divided families: it’s also the problem of all Koreans.
In order to unite as a nation, the people of the nation have to unite first. So reach out to the North Korean refugees around you. There are nearly two hundred such refugees in the United States: as a result of “refugee” immigration status and the North Korean Human Rights Act enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2004, the U.S. Department of State allows refugees from North Korea to stay in America.
In 2006 nine refugees came to America. Now, in 2015, we have 178 refugees in the United States. There are many organizations that help North Korean refugees. Some of these organizations include the National Unification Advisory Council, ENok, WHC USA, NKUS, Jubileeuni, Liberty in North Korea (led mostly by the United States), World Relief, Refugee Rescues, and many other organizations. The organizations fundraise through marathons and music concerts, show movies that depict North Korean lives, provide English classes that help refugees adapt to America, translate documents about life in North Korea, and hold lectures from actual refugees. You can start helping North Korean refugees by researching these organizations and their events on Facebook and YouTube.
“I was thankful for the people that helped me with homework and hung out with me. Their welcoming attitude was the best,” said Kim (a North Korean refugee) to JSRC. Like the organizations and the people Deborah is referring to, we have to take part in helping with unification. What have you done today to speed Korean unification?

South Korea Under Hidden Dictatorship

On November 14th at 4:00 pm, protestors demonstrated against the government of President Park. These protestors objected to Park’s policies of using only state-issued history textbooks; importing rice; domination of social media; and the obfuscation of the Sewol ferry incident. Minjoongchonggualgi is a group of protestors that includes labor, civic, and farmers’ organizations. Minjoongchonggualgi told the government about its plans to hold a protest at the Gwanghwamun at 4:00 pm. However, before the protest started, police buses gathered and illegally blocked the way to the Gwanghwamun. Policemen also blocked the subway stations and massed in police buses.
The demonstrators numbered seventy thousand people of all ages. These protestors tried to advance past police buses by breaking bus windows and throwing projectiles at policemen on the tops of the buses. Some protestors lit torches to show their resolve. The police’s response was brutal. Officers fired water cannons at the protestors from behind a portable police wall. Some officers also fired tear gas and capsaicin-infused water at the protestors—even at the injured who were being evacuated by paramedics. Sadly, the protest resulted in many injuries.

A Mini-Earth: Culture Fest at Northern State University

Nov. 6th was an especially notable day at Northern State University (NSU), which held its annual Culture Fest at the Barnett Center in NSU’s Wachs Arena. This year is the fifth Culture Fest. Culture Fest celebrates international students from Northern State University and the surrounding Aberdeen community. International students share the culture (cuisine, dance, and entertainment) of their countries with the NSU community. More than 40 countries were represented at this year’s Culture Fest. Of course, the best part of Culture Fest was South Korean: the K-POP dance team’s performance of K-POP was well-received by college students and the many teenagers who attended. Traditional Saudi Arabian dance was also a hit. Zhengguo He (Advanced English Program/China) reported, “It [Culture Fest] was a good opportunity to learn about other countries’ culture and eat their food. Actually, I didn’t know about many other cultures before Culture Fest. I also hope that everyone here will learn about China’s culture and develop a better image of our country.” Don’t miss NSU’s next Culture Fest, which will be held in November 2016.