Two of the most populous and culturally significant ethnic communities in Los Angeles found themselves on opposite sides during Thursday’s World Cup match: South Korea versus Mexico — or Mexico versus South Korea, depending on who you ask.
As Mexico and South Korea clashed on the field of Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico, LA’s Koreatown saw a sea of Mexican and South Korean flags and people with their respective team jerseys — green for Mexico, red for South Korea.
LA uniquely symbolizes the brotherly love between the two countries as the multiethnic neighborhood is where the Mexican and Korean diasporas have co-existed for decades. It’s common to see Mexican vendors with their fruit carts in front of shops with Korean signs as well as Korean cashiers at grocery stores talking to their colleagues in Spanish.
Despite language and cultural barriers between the two ethic groups when Koreans initially immigrated to LA and eventually established Koreatown, they began learning each others’ language and culture. And the bond has become especially stronger in the city’s food scene. (Kogi BBQ, anyone?)
At Guelaguetza, critically acclaimed Oaxacan restaurant located on Olympic Boulevard in Koreatown, some fans told NBCLA that they are hoping for a tie.
“(Korea and Mexico have) been family. it doesn’t matter who wins, we will root for each other,” a man named Joon wearing a red South Korean soccer team jersey said.
“It’s going to be 2-2,” Leo, Joon’s friend, in a Mexican soccer jersey responded.
The restaurant’s building also celebrates the connection between the two cultures: When Guelaguetza opened in the 1990s, the owners decided to keep the Korean rooflines and paint the exterior walls with bright orange, giving a nod to both heritages.
The connection reached a new level during the 2018 World Cup. In the final group-stage match, South Korea shocked the world by defeating Germany, allowing Mexico to advance to the Round of 16 despite Mexico losing its own match on the same day.
The outcome led countless Mexican fans to take to social media, leaving thank-you messages and calling Koreans their hermanos or brothers.
Bonyub Koo and Mirella Vargas are family in real life as the couple, who met in South Korea in 2019 via a dating app, said their house is certainly not divided over soccer.
“Mexico wins, we get a taco. Korea wins, we get Korean BBQ,” Koo said.
For some, the match is a chance to celebrate at the cultural intersection of LA.
“If you look around (in Koreatown), you see a blend of both (cultures), an assimilation of both. It’s really cool,” Jeff Limpus, a fan, said. “We need this right now. (Soccer) brings out joy and positivity.