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Hwang Jin-woo, 30, a salaryman who watched all the Korean national soccer team’s matches at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, described the team’s journey to the round of 16 as a “TV show with a happy ending.”

Even after watching the Korean national team lose 1-4 to Brazil at daybreak on Tuesday, Hwang did not seem to be visibly upset about the results.

“I’ve been having a rough time at work recently, but seeing the players hold up the national flag with the slogan ‘Keep a steady heart and persevere’ after they won the match against Portugal made me realize I shouldn’t give up. I’m going to try my best until the very end,” he said.

Korea’s national soccer team, which advanced to the round of 16 for the first time in 12 years, went into every game with admirable determination. If they were falling back, they did their best to overtake their opponents; when they lost, they applauded each other.

Koreans were moved and thrilled by the players’ behavior.

When Cho Gue-sung and Kwon Kyung-won held up a flag on which the slogan “Keep a steady heart and persevere” had been written after winning the crucial game against Portugal — which ultimately cemented Korea’s ticket to the 16-team knockout round — and after receiving the results of the Uruguay versus Ghana game, that slogan became an instant sensation.

If our parents had the slogan “Dreams do come true” in 2002, in 2022 the line “Keep a steady heart and persevere” is now engraved in our generation’s collective memory.

“Keep a steady heart and persevere” first appeared in an interview with Kim Hyuk-kyu, better known as Deft, after winning the League of Legends World Championship held from September to November; beating Lee Sang-hyuk, known as Faker, who is considered the world’s strongest player, for the first time in 10 years.

Seeing Deft best what was assumed to be an unbeatable opponent soon became a powerful narrative for Korea’s younger generations.

And as such, that phrase, by becoming widespread via social media, came to symbolize the challenges the national soccer team had to face, and how, in the end, they emerged victorious.

Office worker Hong Seok-hee, 32, said, “As someone who enjoys watching soccer, I was more moved by the tenacity the national team displayed as they participated in the games rather than the fact that they ended up in the round of 16.”

Some stated that they took strength from and were able to sympathize with the players, who didn’t give up despite the challenge of facing one strong team after another.

Office worker Jeong Jae-won, 30, said, “It’s become customary to call people in their 20s and 30s the ‘give-up generation.’ Our generation has gotten so used to giving up on things, but seeing the national team beat all odds and advance to the round of 16 felt like they were cheering us on to not give up.”

At the massive Red Devils outdoor cheering and viewing party that was held at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul early Tuesday morning, Koh Young-seok, 56, came with his daughter, Mi-ju, 21.

“I remember coming here in 2002 with my daughter, who was 2 at the time, to cheer on Korea at the World Cup,” Koh shared. “I hope that this World Cup will help the young people around my daughter’s age, who are still struggling to deal with the aftermath of the Itaewon tragedy, have hope.”

By Park Ji-young, staff reporter; Ko Byung-chan, staff reporter

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