The Korean Embassy in Copenhagen welcomed a group of special guests on August 23.
They were the former Danish women’s handball players who were pitted against their Korean counterparts in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games handball finals. Accompanied by their coaches, the players travelled from across the country to the embassy for a special event in their honor.
The group first watched some highlights from the 2008 hit, “Forever The Moment,” a movie that tells the true story of the Korean national handball team’s hard-earned silver medal against the Denmark team in Athens.
“I rushed here from far away and couldn't catch my breath,” said Trine Nielsen, one of the key Danish players, who now broadcasts handball games.
“Forever The Moment,” directed by Lim Sun-rye, presents the touching story created by aging Korean handball players who joined the national team to make a miracle happen, a miracle that had never before been earned over the many years of Korea’s handball history. At that time in Korea, handball was out of the spotlight and was sidelined, as the national team never stood out in its field.
The movie spotlights the ordeal and conflicts through which the players had to go in such an unpopular sport and proves that the team that sheds a lot of sweat and tears has the potential to achieve a miracle. They won the silver medal in the finals, something more worthy than winning the gold.
After the screening, the Danes had a meaningful chance to reunite with four of the real heroines featured in the film, with whom they competed in a neck-and-neck match exactly 10 years ago, not physically, but via a video call.
The participants from the Korean side included players Lim Okyung, Lee Sang-eun, Choi Im-jeong and Heo Young-sook.
Choi and Heo spoke in Danish, as they once played in the Danish league. Josephine Touray, Choi's former teammate, said, “Please come and see me in Denmark."
Another player, Kristine Andersen, who currently serves as an adviser for the Danish national team, recalled the match, saying it was, “One of the fiercest games I’ve ever played.”
The then coach Jan Pytlick said, “It was such an intense game dotted with one reverse after another."
“In particular, coach Lim Young-cheol is a great leader who knew how to lead the team, as he successfully transformed the team, arming it with a whole different level of capacity in such a short time span,” he recalled.
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
jiae5853@korea.kr
They were the former Danish women’s handball players who were pitted against their Korean counterparts in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games handball finals. Accompanied by their coaches, the players travelled from across the country to the embassy for a special event in their honor.
The group first watched some highlights from the 2008 hit, “Forever The Moment,” a movie that tells the true story of the Korean national handball team’s hard-earned silver medal against the Denmark team in Athens.
“I rushed here from far away and couldn't catch my breath,” said Trine Nielsen, one of the key Danish players, who now broadcasts handball games.
“Forever The Moment,” directed by Lim Sun-rye, presents the touching story created by aging Korean handball players who joined the national team to make a miracle happen, a miracle that had never before been earned over the many years of Korea’s handball history. At that time in Korea, handball was out of the spotlight and was sidelined, as the national team never stood out in its field.
The movie spotlights the ordeal and conflicts through which the players had to go in such an unpopular sport and proves that the team that sheds a lot of sweat and tears has the potential to achieve a miracle. They won the silver medal in the finals, something more worthy than winning the gold.
Former Danish women’s national handball players reunite with their Korean counterparts via video call ten years after their famous match, on August 23 at the Korean Embassy in Denmark. They had a close match in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games handball finals. (photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
After the screening, the Danes had a meaningful chance to reunite with four of the real heroines featured in the film, with whom they competed in a neck-and-neck match exactly 10 years ago, not physically, but via a video call.
The participants from the Korean side included players Lim Okyung, Lee Sang-eun, Choi Im-jeong and Heo Young-sook.
Choi and Heo spoke in Danish, as they once played in the Danish league. Josephine Touray, Choi's former teammate, said, “Please come and see me in Denmark."
Another player, Kristine Andersen, who currently serves as an adviser for the Danish national team, recalled the match, saying it was, “One of the fiercest games I’ve ever played.”
The then coach Jan Pytlick said, “It was such an intense game dotted with one reverse after another."
“In particular, coach Lim Young-cheol is a great leader who knew how to lead the team, as he successfully transformed the team, arming it with a whole different level of capacity in such a short time span,” he recalled.
The 2008 movie “Forever The Moment” tells the true story of the Korean national handball team. The team won a precious silver medal after a neck-and-neck match against Denmark at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
By Sohn JiAe
Korea.net Staff Writer
jiae5853@korea.kr
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