Away, Yet Home
The new documentary series Korea, Away follows the journeys of three creators — Josh Lee, Ray An and Emanuel Hahn — as they trace the emotional pull of the Korean men’s national soccer team across continents and generations.
Its title captures a paradox: even when the team plays on home soil, supporters often feel like the away side, a sentiment that resonates with a diaspora scattered from New York’s Korean Pentecostal megachurches to neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
Lee recalls watching the 2002 World Cup from a church in Queens, while Hahn, then a pre‑teen, tracked every match through Yahoo Sports’ live updates. For James Kim, who grew up half Korean and half Filipino, the 2002 tournament sparked a pride that linked his mixed heritage to a broader sense of belonging. Meeja Richards, a biracial Korean, similarly uses the team as a conduit to explore her cultural roots.
The series weaves these personal narratives with a larger observation: many Americans who do not consider themselves avid soccer fans nonetheless find themselves cheering for South Korea during World Cup matches, a phenomenon that underscores the team’s role as a symbolic home for scattered communities.
Through interviews with fans in Singapore, Cambodia, Saipan and beyond, Korea, Away illustrates how soccer can serve as a bridge between memory and identity, turning a global sport into a personal quest for self‑discovery.