'Keeping Our Roots Eternal': Korean Americans celebrate home at World Cup

LOS ANGELES, June 24 : Clad almost entirely in red and draped in South Korean flags, hundreds of Korean Americans transformed Liberty Park in Los Angeles' Koreatown into a slice of home on Wednesday, chanting, singing and dancing under the banner of a simple slogan: "Keeping Our Roots Eternal."

The phrase adorned flags, food stalls and merchandise across the park, capturing the spirit of a World Cup watch party that became about far more than the outcome of South Korea's final group-stage match against South Africa.

While the action unfolded more than 1,400 miles (2,250 km) away in Monterrey, Mexico, Liberty Park briefly felt much closer to Seoul than Southern California.

Families queued for Korean street food and face painting before kickoff as performers took to the stage. Drummers pounded in perfect rhythm with cheerleaders while supporters broke into chants that echoed across the park.

Even when South Korea conceded a second-half goal on their way to a 1-0 defeat, the noisy atmosphere barely wavered.

During the hydration break, cheerleaders rushed back onto the stage, leading fans through energetic routines to Psy's "Gangnam Style" and music from the hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters", quickly replacing disappointment with celebration.

For many gathered in Koreatown, the day was less about football than about reaffirming ties to a heritage thousands of miles away.

'BRINGING OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER'

"I love Korea. I love representing my heritage," said Irene Choi, who was born in Los Angeles and whose mother runs a ballet school in the city's Korean community.

"I wish I was in Korea and I could experience it there. I never have. But this comes second. Every single World Cup viewing party in K-Town is always so much fun. It