The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Minister Choi Hwi-young cheered on the Korean national team alongside citizens at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 12th, when Korea played the Czech Republic in the Group A round of the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America.
Wearing a Red Devils shirt, Choi prayed for Korea's strong performance together with citizens. He cheered at goals and lamented at conceding them. At Gwanghwamun Square that day, he met and greeted Carlos Peñafiel Soto, Mexico's ambassador to Korea and a representative of the World Cup host nation, and the two cheered together.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Korean Embassy in Mexico and the Korean Cultural Center, are holding a "K-Culture Festival" that runs various Korean cultural programs in major Mexican cities during the World Cup.
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Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young (center) poses for a photo with Korea Football Association Vice President Lee Yong-soo and Mexican Ambassador to Korea Carlos Peñafiel Soto on Dec. 12. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism - Seoul Economic Daily Culture News from South Korea](https://wimg.sedaily.com/news/cms/2026/06/12/news-p.v1.20260612.3d00dbc6dd2c455da7fca5e9c9a9dea2_P1.jpg "Culture Minister Joins Mexican Ambassador to Cheer Korea's World Cup Win")
The Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in the first match of the Group A round of the North and Central America World Cup, held at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, that day.
