PHIGHTING!!!!
When Yong Eun Yang stunned the world by beating Tiger Woods for the PGA Championship yesterday, he became the first Korean (and full-blooded Asian) to win a major golf tournament. That thumping sound you hear? It's 48,000,000 South Koreans beating their collective chests today in pride of their countryman's achievement. (Take that, Japan!) Koreans been had math and science on lock but nothing makes a nation feel prouder than sticking it to Whitey excellence in sports. And—as with Korean entertainers—there's no better place to make a name than on the biggest stage of all: the U.S. of fucking A.
To that end, and in honor of Yang, we're celebrating the greatest Korean athletes in U.S. sports. Grab a plate of ddukboki, light up a cigarette, and enjoy! Pilsung Korea!
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NAME: Duk Koo Kim
SPORT: Boxing
ACHIEVEMENT: Korea's actually churned out some decent fighters over the years but sadly, the most famous one is probably Kim, who died four days after a brutal fight with Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini in November 1982. There's a pretty good Korean movie about Kim's life. Check it out if you don't mind subtitles.
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NAME: Yu Na Kim
SPORT: Figure skating
ACHIEVEMENT: She might not be a household name yet, but Korea has high hopes that Kim will become a global icon next year when she reps the taegugki in the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Kim is the reigning world champion in figure skating and probably Korea's most popular athlete. Walk around any street in Seoul and you're bound to see huge billboards and ads featuring the nation's "little sister," as she is fondly called. Don't worry, fellas—she's 18.
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