Hello, my name is Jin-Hyoung and I am a Korean journalist living in Seoul.

I am going to be writing for West London Sport this season, giving you a perspective from the country where the name ‘Queens Park Rangers’ has suddenly become well known to football fans.

Park Ji-sung’s move to the club from Manchester United has had a big impact here. The media and general public are very proud of him – not just in Korea but in other Asian countries too.

Everyone in this country, whether they like football or not, knows Park. He’s a massive celebrity here as David Beckham is in England.

I’m sure many English people know more about LA Galaxy now than they did a few years ago, and in the same way Park’s move has brought QPR to the attention of Koreans.

Initially, people here were shocked and maybe disappointed at his decision to leave a famous club like United for a team not many were aware of.

But people very quickly changed their minds.

“Queens Park Rangers is a great club. They have vision for a better future, and I was very convinced of the fact,” Park explained. And these words have resonated with many football fans here.

As soon as this statement was made by Park, millions of Korean people started researching the history of QPR and the current squad.

I think they are now very pleased with his decision and feel that a club has value not just because of a great history, but also the quality of its fans and strong ambition for the future. QPR clearly have both these factors in their favour.

Korean websites have been constantly talking about QPR. The banner you see on the right is from one of the many fans’ forums that have been full of discussion about Park and his new team.

That gives you an indication of the enthusiasm for QPR in this country right now.

QPR’s profile here has been further enhanced by their interest in another high-profile Korean player.

Celtic’s Sung-yeung Ki is famous for his powerful and accurate shooting and is a big name here too. If he joins Park it will bring even more attention to the club.

The number of QPR fans in South Korea, it is said, now stands at more than 30,000 because of Park’s move.

But that number is rising dramatically and will be influenced in the future by the club’s brand marketing in Asia.

In fact, looking at various fans’ forums, QPR have already gained a nickname: ‘국민클럽’ (Kook-min club), which means the most popular club among fans.

Of course, what matters most is how the team performs during the coming season. That more than anything else will determine how QPR are regarded here in the longer term.

See also:

Park: QPR now famous in Korea

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