From Shin Dong-pa to BTS – and more

Let me start with a story I heard from a Korean who has been living in the Philippines for decades. When he first moved to Manila in the early ‘70s, a passenger sitting next to him in a jeepney asked him where he came from. When he replied that he came from the country of Shin Dong-pa, all passengers clapped in warm welcome.

So, who is Shin Dong-pa? Millennials and Gen-Zs may have no idea who this person is.

For us in the older generation, Shin Dong-pa is the embodiment of basketball. Filipinos who remember him either love him because of his skills as a player, or hate him for the same reason whenever Korea beat the Philippines in international competitions, notably in the finals of the 1969 FIBA Asian Cup where he scored a whopping 50 points.

The so-called Korean Gunner, whose incredible accuracy on the court may be likened to that of NBA superstar Stephen Curry, energized the crowd wherever the venue. In the Philippines, for sure, he is the earliest incarnation of Hallyu or the Korean Wave.

The passion of Filipinos for basketball is very much alive, as evidenced by the record-breaking crowd that watched the opening match between the Philippines and the Dominican Republic at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. The Philippine team has since earned a seat in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament for a chance to compete in the Paris Olympics next year. My hats off to Gilas Pilipinas!

Read more: https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2023/09/10/2295094/shin-dong-pa-bts-and-more