A documentary series titled Korea, Away, envisioned by creators Emanuel Hahn, Ray An, and Josh Lee, is traveling across North America to examine how the South Korean national soccer team shappes identity for the Korean diaspora. Set against the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, the project uses the sport as a lens to explore belonging, assimilation, and the endurig pull of a homeland many may never have visited. As the report explains, the title itself captures the feeling of always being the 'away team,' whether in the ancestral country or the adopted one.

The 2002 World Cup as a Korean-American rallying point

According to the documentary's creators, the 2002 World Cup remains a watershed moment for Korean Americans. Josh Lee,a Los Angeles-based creative and LAFC supporters-group member, describes watching the tournament in a Korean Pentecostal megachurch in New York, where the sanctuary transformed into a fan zone. He recalls congregants gathering before dawn and the explosion of joy when Ahn Jung-hwan scored the golden goal against Italy — a celebration he says surpassed even the most intense religious expressions.

Emanuel Hahn, the filmmaker and photographer on the team, tells of his own experience in Singapore, where his family lacked cable television and relied on Yahoo Sports updates. Despite the distance, he says the ecstasy of South Korea's success gave him a constant sense of identity as he moved through Cambodia, Saipan, and eventually the United States. The 2002 run, in which South Korea reached the semifinals, is portrayed as a rare moment when diaspora communities found a shared public pride.

Kim's mixed heritage and the 'Be the Reds' inclusion

The series examines how supporting the national team helps those who struggle with racial or cultural acceptance. In one interview highlighted by the report, Kim, a man of mixed Korean and Filipino heritage, explains that the 'Be the Reds' movement of 2002 offered him a visible way to claim a Korean identity. for those who felt they did not look 'traditionally' Korean or were not fully embraced by their community, the shared passion for the team provided rare total acceptance.

Hahn observes that many immigrants find assimilation thwarted by systemic barriers, leading them to seek alternative spaces of belonging. The South Korean team's underdog reputation — especially during the Cinderella run in 2002 — resonates with the immigrant experience of overcoming odds. The documentary aims to uncover why a soccer ball can hold memory, heritage, and the hope of a place to belong.

Why the 2026 World Cup is the right catalyst

As the report notes, the 2026 FIFA World Cup serves as the project's catalyst, but the focus remains on past narratives rather than future fixtures. The creators are traversing North America to conduct interviews and gather reporting on the intersection of sports, nationality, and belonging. An unanswered question is whether the 2026 tournament will generate similar communal energy, especially for younger generations who did not experience 2002. The documentary does not yet address how the evolving politics of national identity — including South Korea's changing demographics — might affect the diaspora's relationship with the team.

Another open point is the geographic scope: the series is currently focusing on North America, but the Korean diaspora spans Latin America, Europe, and Oceania. Whether the creators plan to expand remains unclear from the report.