사라진 열기, 예전과는 다른 리우 올림픽
Korea is known the world over for coming together en masse to cheer on the home team in global sporting events.
Think back to 2002 world cup.
But the level of visible enthusiasm is rather low during the Rio Olympics.
Our Hwang Ho-jun gets to the bottom of what led to the lukewarm global games reception.
"We are now down to just a couple more days until the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro closes out its 16-day run. This is also when the Olympic fervor reaches its peak. Well, so has been the case in many previous Summer Games. What about Rio 2016?
"I know the Games are happening, but still I don't really feel the excitement. My friends and I barely talk about the Olympics. My family doesn't really watch the Games either."
"So I've been in Korea for three days now, I think, and I kind of was expecting that people would be gathering in public places and watching some games. But I haven't seen any of that."
One particular mainstay for Korean sports fans whenever the national team competes... is fried chicken. And it's perhaps an indicator of this apparent change in attitude.
On Wednesday night, the Korean men's table tennis team faced Germany for the bronze medal.
The match was set for 11 p.m., Korea time, yet there were plenty of empty seats at this fried chicken restaurant in downtown Seoul.
"The so-called 'Olympic premium' isn't true this year. The number of customers and delivery requests is practically the same as before the Games."
The lack of Olympic fervor is also evident in the record-low ratings for the Olympic TV coverage by Korea's three main networks.
In the past, ratings for the London and Beijing Olympics were around 20 to 30 percent.
As of Tuesday, however, the ratings had barely made 16 percent.
Some have blamed low viewership on the twelve-hour time difference between Seoul and Rio.
But according to the experts, it's much more complicated.
They say the combination of the recent economic slump and high unemployment has young people focusing more on their own well-being than on entertainment.
"Unless it's a match that they're interested in, people don't watch just because the Korean team might beat another country's team. That's not a good enough reason anymore."
This year, we might not hear the late night cheering next door... or see neighbors celebrating in the streets,...
but in two years time that may change... when the Winter Olympics come to Pyeongchang.
Hwang Hojun, Arirang News.
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