SEOUL, June 12 (AJP) - Few Friday lunch breaks could have been better.
A long midday pause filled with live music, sunshine, a cool breeze, stress relief, shouting, groaning, jumping, dancing and, for some, a can of beer.
For 90 minutes, South Koreans traded spreadsheets, classrooms and office meetings for something less tangible but equally important — a shared dose of pride, hope and celebration.
Some took the entire day off. Others used half-day leave. Many stretched their lunch hour well beyond its usual limits.
Companies wheeled televisions into break rooms, while public squares became giant outdoor stadiums. Some preferred air-conditioned offices. Others sought the collective roar of the crowd.
At 11 a.m. on a weekday, South Korea's World Cup did not belong only to stadiums, sports bars or packed streets. It spilled into office lounges, classrooms, company cafeterias and the lunch-hour crowds gathered at Gwanghwamun Square.
For workers stealing a few minutes between meetings, teachers watching between classes and fans unable to leave their desks for long, South Korea's opening match against Czechia became a World Cup squeezed into the middle of an ordinary workday.
At Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, the answer was loud and public.
The scene was uniquely Seoul: beneath the statue of King Sejong and framed by some of the country's largest digital displays, thousands gathered in a sea of red. The combination of history, technology and football created an atmosphere that felt both futuristic and unmistakably Korean.
By kickoff, the broad plaza beneath King Sejong's statue had become a temporary stadium surrounded by office towers. Red jerseys filled the space between giant screens and food stalls.
Drums echoed across the square as workers on lunch breaks stood shoulder to shoulder with students, tourists and longtime football fans.
Among them were six employees from CJ Logistics who had hurried through lunch before joining the crowd. Their company had not organized a viewing event, but after hearing about the public cheering event nearby, they made their way to Gwanghwamun together — coffee cups in hand and office attire still on, knowing work would be waiting after the final whistle.
"It would have been great to watch the match over chicken and beer, but just being able to spend the second half with this crowd was exciting," one employee said.
"When Korea scored, I felt a real thrill. Today brought back a lot of memories from the 2002 World Cup."
For others, the day was quieter but no less meaningful.
There were no drums or sea of red shirts, only a cluster of employees gathered around the screen during their lunch break.
When Czechia scored, the room fell silent. When South Korea equalized, someone let out a cheer before quickly remembering where they were.
"We could not be at Gwanghwamun, but we still watched together with one heart," one employee said. "After Korea came back to win, everyone returned to their desks and got back to work."
The same balancing act played out in schools.
In a classroom in Seongnam, sixth-grade teacher Lee Hye-won sat alone at her desk while students ate lunch in the cafeteria. Student drawings lined the walls. The desks were empty and quiet. On her screen, South Korea was fighting for its first World Cup victory.
"I wanted to be out at Gwanghwamun with the Red Devils, but I had to support the team in my own way," Lee said. "I ended up cheering in a very calm way, with a cup of coffee."
At Gachon University, the academic affairs office looked much as it did on any other workday — computers on, files open and phones ringing. Choi Yoon-sung followed the match between tasks, with the game playing in one corner of the office while work continued around it.
"Everyone still had their own responsibilities, so we had to find a balance between work and cheering," Choi said. "It felt like lunchtime was over in an instant."
South Korea ended the day with a 2-1 comeback victory after Hwang In-beom equalized in the 67th minute and Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the winner in the 80th.
The passion that once filled late-night streets during World Cups was still there on Friday. It had simply been compressed into lunch breaks, office lounges, coffee cups and small pockets of time carved out of an otherwise ordinary workday.
For a couple of hours, work could wait.
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