A South Korean soccer treasure that has been praised by some of the world’s best players is in danger of being destroyed.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Monday that the closing ceremony for the 2023 Saemangeum World Scouse Jamboree will be held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Nov. 11. The closing ceremony will be accompanied by a K-pop concert.
The K-pop concert, which was scheduled to be held at Jeonju World Cup Stadium, was moved due to the typhoon. FC Seoul joins Jeonbuk Hyundai, which has already suffered from the loss of its home stadium.
The decision to move the concert to the Seoul World Cup Stadium was made in response to the forecast of Typhoon Kanun passing through the Korean Peninsula.
In particular, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism explained that the venue was chosen after carefully examining several factors, including ▲ travel time and convenience to the venue, as it is located in the Seoul metropolitan area, ▲ accumulated know-how in various event experiences and safety management, ▲ more comfortable viewing environment, and ▲ capacity (approximately 66,000 people).
Seoul World Cup Stadium has recently received favorable reviews for its stadium management.
As the venue for the Coupang Play friendly match between Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, Seoul World Cup Stadium was able to play close to normal due to quick drainage and stable recovery despite the sudden heavy rain.
It was a great opportunity for overseas soccer fans to learn more about Korean soccer and soccer field management. The stadium received high praise from overseas, and officials from Man City and Atletico Madrid, the two clubs who played against each other, also praised the stadium.
In 2021, Seoul World Cup Stadium completely replaced the sand in the grass substrate to improve drainage, and replaced the turf with a hybrid turf that combines natural and artificial grass.
This meant that even when it rained hard enough to trigger a flash flood warning, the water quickly drained away and the players were able to play at a high level in comfortable grass conditions.
In addition to the outcome of the match, City also noted that they were able to play normally in the heavy rain.
“It was hot and humid in Seoul, where the game was played, and there was enough rain to be called a ‘flood’. However, everything was back to normal in about 40 minutes. Thanks to an amazing drainage system, everything was in order on the pitch.”
“Last year’s friendly match against Bayern Munich at Lambeau Field in the U.S. also experienced heavy rainfall, which led to further interruptions due to unplayable conditions,” he said, citing previous examples, “but this did not happen in Seoul, and the 60,000 soccer fans were able to enjoy a fun game without any problems.” Once again, he praised the drainage conditions at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
However, the K-pop concert inevitably ruined the hybrid turf of Seoul World Cup Stadium, which has become a point of pride in the world. The K-pop concert could be the last chance to clean up the mess of the jamboree.
But the problem is that the stadium, which has already become a point of pride around the world, is in danger of collapse.
While the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism says there are elements to host a K-pop concert, there are many stadiums in the metropolitan area that are currently inactive. In particular, Incheon is home to Munhwa and the main stadium for the Incheon Asiad, both of which do not host any special events except for the soccer-only stadium used by Incheon United.안전놀이터
It’s possible that the event has been bogged down since its inception. If so, the soccer world should have taken the initiative. However, no one in the soccer world is speaking out. Seoul World Cup Stadium, which has become a world-class stadium with world-class players, is likely to become another victim of the jamboree.