Sitting at the table at Baja\u2019s Grill in Los Angeles\u2019 Koreatown, Daniel Cho uses his stylus to add an outline to a new sticker. It\u2019s two fingers in an L shape, framing a box with the No 7, a replication of Son Heung-min\u2019s signature celebration. Nearby, fans are banging on drums, shouting \u201cOle ole ole ole, LAFC I love you. Wherever even in my dreams, I\u2019ll follow you,\u201d in a mixture of Korean and Spanish, a chant adapted from one belonging to fans of the Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the K-League, Korea\u2019s top division.<\/p>\n
Growing up in Argentina, Cho was accustomed to soccer being the dominant focus. His friends all supported Boca Juniors. Cho emigrated to America at the age of 17 and settled in Koreatown, where Lionel Messi\u2019s popularity piqued his interest. But it wasn\u2019t until he met other Los Angeles Football Club fans at church that he grew to be a loyal, weekly watcher. Now, his Son Heung-min art will adorn the stands at BMO Field, LAFC\u2019s home stadium where the former Tottenham Hotspur star will make his home debut this weekend.<\/p>\n
Son\u2019s signing has broken many records: a league-record transfer fee that reportedly exceeds $26m<\/a> and jersey sales that surpass<\/a> the likes of LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo. It\u2019s also brought a ripple effect into Koreatown, where the majority of Southern California\u2019s 320,000 Korean Americans live.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up in Argentina and I love Messi, but having Son represent at that kind of level is really humbling. It\u2019s a really proud moment for us as Koreans,\u201d Cho said.<\/p>\n Daniel Cho, the designer of the Son-inspired flag, stands next to Sam Seig and Angel Salgueroi at a Los Angeles Football Club watchparty in Koreatown. Photograph: Courtesy Daniel Cho\/Daniel Cho, the designer of the Son-inspired flag, stands next to Sam Seig and Angel Salgueroi at a Los Angeles Football Club watchparty in Koreatown on August 16, 2025.A moment long in the making<\/p>\n In some ways, LAFC fans have been preparing for Son\u2019s arrival for years.<\/p>\n In 2018, Ben Chi got an invitation from LAFC club owners about a mysterious VIP guest. As a previous manager for merchandise at the club, Chi helped launch what was then known as a Korean supporter group, the Tigers. Although the group started as a dozen Korean American soccer fans, it quickly expanded to represent the full diversity of Koreatown residents.<\/p>\n Disguised as a meeting with the executives of Riot Games, the gathering turned into a meet and greet with Son himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI just couldn\u2019t keep it together,\u201d Chi said of the meeting.<\/p>\n Chi believes that LA itself is a big part of the reason why Son made his move, whether it\u2019s due to fervent supporters, plenty of Korean heritage, or material comforts.<\/p>\n \u201cHe spent a lot of time in Germany. He spent a lot of time in London. LA can give him a sense of home without actually being home,\u201d Chi said. \u201cHe can continue his football journey without feeling like it\u2019s coming to a close in Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n Son, of course, is more that just a phenomenal Asian soccer player, or one of the most famous Koreans alive. But there is no doubt that there is a surge in business interest related to his identity.<\/p>\n LAFC have completely sold out Son\u2019s primary black jersey online and at the BMO Stadium store, according to a club spokesperson. LAFC more than doubled their subscribers on YouTube, with 70% of the new audience joining from Korea. Son\u2019s Tapping Glas<\/a>\u201d video, announcing his signing, gave the club\u2019s TikTok over 12.5m views and more than 135,000 new followers.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he is Korean and there\u2019s a lot of small and large Korean businesses, people want to attach their being or their entity with his likeness and with all the hype that\u2019s surrounded by it right now,\u201d said Jeremy Kim, a partner at M.Co<\/a> coffee shop in Koreatown.<\/p>\n While LAFC and Son have not announced any new LA-based sponsorships, Kim said that he has heard of \u201ca lot of movement, a lot of talks\u201d of different people showing up to the club\u2019s offices for partnership meetings. \u201cIf you are a business that has millions in revenue a year, although you may not be named nationally, you are still trying to see if it\u2019s possible to attach a bit to that.\u201d<\/p>\n Tourism agencies specializing in Korea-US travel are already seeing a spike in interest.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us as a travel agency, this \u2018Son Heung-min effect\u2019 has opened up a new breakthrough, and we see it as a very meaningful opportunity,\u201d said Pyoungsik Bahk, the president of US Aju Tour. Aju Tour has received more than 400 requests from interested tourists from Korea who want to see Son play and continues to sell special package tours for LAFC games in September and October.<\/p>\n Not to be outdone, competitor Samho Tour is also developing add-ons for existing tour packages for Korean and Korean American out-of-state travelers, including adding LAFC home matches for West Coast sightseeing tours in LA and San Diego. Both agencies have had a hard time securing block seating because of the tenfold price increase<\/a>.<\/p>\n When Shohei Ohtani signed a $700m contract for 10 years with the Dodgers in 2023, his presence ushered in new Japanese tourism boom, with the number of tourists from the country doubling from 2023 to 2024<\/a>, according to the LA tourism board. This year, Nikaido became the first Japanese shochu brand<\/a> offered at Dodger Stadium. You can also now find Tsukiji Gindaco<\/a>\u2019s traditional takoyaki, or fried octopus balls at the concessions. In time, there may be a similar change or two at BMO Stadium as well.<\/p>\n Son\u2019s debut drew crowds to Bridgeview, Illinois on short notice. Photograph: Patrick McDermott\/Getty ImagesIntergenerational unity<\/p>\n Su Jin Lee happened to be in Chicago for vacation when it became clear that Son would make his debut in nearby Bridgeview against the Chicago Fire. At the game, she said she saw a sea of Tottenham, national team, and custom Son shirts.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson<\/p>\n Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n \u201cEurosnobs said they would never watch an MLS<\/a> game. All of sudden Son is here, and people are asking me about tickets. I\u2019ve been preaching about this for seven years!\u201d said Lee, who formerly served as a vice-president for the 3252, the independent supporters union for LAFC\u2019s affiliated supporters groups and fans.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not the first time that LAFC has signed a Korean player. In 2021, the club signed right-back Kim Moon-hwan, who played for two seasons before he moved to the K-League. While Kim did bring a certain level of excitement, Son\u2019s status as a global star is on another level entirely. David Dong, the owner of BiergartenLA, a German-Korean fusion gastropub in Koreatown, said that before the Chicago-LAFC match, his restaurant received a lot of calls from people interested in watching Son play. By half-time, the restaurant was full with a waitlist to get in.<\/p>\n \u201cThe past two games, we\u2019ve seen a lot more Koreans and we\u2019ve seen families coming together. We see kids coming, we see parents coming. We are staffing up more than usual. We didn\u2019t anticipate the reception to be this big,\u201d Dong said.<\/p>\n Lee has seen similar interest. \u201cMy mom works with older ladies at the Korean market and they\u2019re all talking about it. They\u2019re so hyped about this Korean man that they\u2019re enamored with,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Even the Harmonica Grannies, a group of Koreatown retirees who have played the US national anthem at NHL games<\/a>, are excited about the prospect of playing in front of Son someday. Many of the retirees, born in the 1940s, still remember playing soccer at a young age in Korea. <\/p>\n \u201cKorea was very poor [when they grew up] and soccer was virtually the only sport, as one ball could bring together 10 or 20 children to play. That is why the joy of scoring a goal is still remembered vividly throughout their bodies,\u201d said Hyunok Lee, president of Koreatown Senior and Community Center.<\/p>\n All say that in the case of Son, soccer provides a more intergenerational bond between family members than other recent Korean imports that have gained popularity in the States, like K-pop.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have something to bond about, you have something to watch together, something that crosses those boundaries that would normally be there,\u201d Jeremy Kim added.<\/p>\n LAFC fans hope Son can be a leader for a team with championship ambitions. Photograph: LM Otero\/APThe \u2018perfect bridge\u2019 for a more unified LA<\/p>\n Fernando Delgado remembers pulling up to a watch party at a local Koreatown radio station during the 2018 World Cup. Son had just scored a goal during the group stage match against Germany<\/a>, effectively pushing the Germans out of World Cup contention and advancing Mexico into the knockout rounds. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was insane. We just hear everybody shouting \u2018Coreano, hermano, ya eres Mexicano [Korean, brother, you\u2019re Mexican now],\u201d Delgado said. \u201cIt was an honor, celebrating that win altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n Delgado now serves as co-president of the LAFC Tigers supporters group. For him, Son represents a humble leader who can empower the younger generation of players<\/a> at the club. He described this while watching Son\u2019s second match for LAFC, against the New England Revolution, and as he explained this dynamic, as if on cue, Son tapped the ball to his left, providing an assist for teammate Mathieu Choini\u00e8re.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not like the person boasting or trash-talking out of the field. He\u2019s very respectful and demonstrates that respect and embodies it,\u201d said Delgado.<\/p>\n Lee hopes to see Son become the \u201cperfect bridge\u201d and \u201camazing ambassador\u201d for the city, getting more involved in local charity initiatives since he is so universally loved as a global personality. Son has also been known for his involvement in philanthropic efforts, including donations for natural disasters<\/a> and awareness campaigns related to homelessness<\/a>. Recently, fans told the Guardian that they saw him in a video calling for more donations for food aid in Palestine<\/a> on the UN World Food Programme social media as a Global Goodwill ambassador.<\/p>\n \u201cSoccer is all about community. All of the stuff we\u2019ve been through the last year, it\u2019s important to feel a sense of community,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n