by Park Sae-jinPosted : June 25, 2026, 13:46Updated : June 25, 2026, 14:52
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and South African Ambassador Sindiswa Ntombolimo Mququ hold their national team jerseys just before exchanging them at Gwanghwamun Square on June 25, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
SEOUL, June 25 (AJP) - Gwanghwamun Square turned red on Thursday morning. Some 11,000 fans packed the plaza in South Korean football jerseys, scarves around their necks and cheering sticks in hand, their chants filling the air around the iconic statue of King Sejong the great.
A South African supporter blows a vuvuzela at Gwanghwamun Square during South Africa's 1-0 World Cup victory over South Korea on June 25, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
South Korean supporters in Red Devils jerseys pack Gwanghwamun Square during the national team's 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match against South Africa on June 25, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
Among them stood South Africa's ambassador to South Korea, Sindiswa Ntombolimo Mququ, dressed in the green and yellow of her national team, and dozens of South Africans, also wearing their national color, mingling with South Korean supporters. The match took place on June 25, the 76th anniversary of the Korean War.
A South African supporter poses with South Korean fans at Gwanghwamun Square during the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage match on June 25, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
chanting.오후 1:41Claude 응답: South Korean supporters hold up scarves and chant during their team's 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match against South Africa at Gwanghwamun Square on June 25, …South Korean supporters hold up scarves and chant during their team's 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match against South Africa at Gwanghwamun Square on June 25, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon made the connection before kick-off. South Africa, he told the crowd, was the first country to send a combat air squadron to the Korean peninsula in 1950, a fact commemorated in the Garden of Gratitude, a memorial park just steps from the square. "The South African team is a wonderful rival on the pitch," he said, "but we must win today. And when South Africa plays well, please give them generous applause and cheers too."
South African Ambassador Sindiswa Ntombolimo Mququ (right) addresses supporters at Gwanghwamun Square ahead of South Africa's Group A clash against South Korea on June 25, 2026, as Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon (left) looks on. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
The jersey swap had come moments earlier. Oh wore his South Korean uniform kit, Red Devils scarf around his neck, cheering stick in hand, on as fans around them waved Taegukgi, South Korea's national flag, and South African flags side by side across the square.
South Korean supporters watch the broadcast screen with anxious faces as South Africa threatens to score during their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match at Gwanghwamun Square on June 25, 2026. AJP Yoo Na-hyun
Dozens of supporters crowd Gwanghwamun Square in front of the statue of King Sejong the Great during South Korea's 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match against South Africa on June 25, 2026. Yoo Na-hyun
South Africa took all three points. The winning goal came in the 63rd minute. South Korea dominated possession, 69 percent to South Africa's 31, but managed just 2 shots on target. Lee Kang-in came closest in the eighth minute, his effort sliding wide of the post.
