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hrongs of young girls brandish cardboard signs with Lee Yong-dae’s name written in Hangul alphabets, but they are not Korean; they are Indonesian.

The thundering cheers of some 4,000 spectators at Wednesday’s main round opening match in the Djarum Indonesia Open Super series Premier badminton championship between mixed duo Liliyana Natsir/Tontowi Ahmad and South Korean Lee Yong-dae/Ha Jung-eun exceeded everyone’s expectations.

“Honestly, it was a dilemma for me. I was so confused about who to support. I love Lee Yong-dae, but I also was wishing for Indonesia to win,” 17-year-old Arfa Atussholihah told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday at Istora Senayan Jakarta.

“In the end, of course, I shout my lungs out for Indonesia and quietly cheer whenever Yong-dae scores
a point, because I feel nervous among the other spectators,” she said, giggling.

A student at SMA 90 Pesanggrahan in South Jakarta, Arfa has been a fan of the good-looking Yong-dae since his first appearance for the South Korean team at the 2008 Thomas Cup men’s team championship in Jakarta. That year, Korea finished second, losing to China 1-3 in the final.

The 22-year-old Korean star, who is half of the world number two men’s doubles pair along with Jung Jae-sung, has already collected a bag-full of medals, including the Beijing Olympics mixed doubles gold with his former partner Lee Hyo-jung and silver and bronze medals from the Guangzhou and Doha Asian Games and the World Championships.

Arfa was not Yong-dae’s only die-hard fan in attendance.

During the last 18 months, Indonesian youngsters have been struck by a wave of Korean pop culture, which includes not only Korean TV dramas but also Korean pop music icons such as the Korean quartet, 2AM, singers San E. and Joo, girl group Miss A. and Kim Hyung Joon, a member of the boy band, SS501, just to name a few.

Thus, the enthusiasm for the so-called K-pop culture added spice for those hungry to see the Korean badminton team members — not only Yong-dae but also the rising mixed doubles star, Ko Sung-hyun, and men’s singles shuttler Park Sung Hwan, to name a few.

“Yong-dae is so charming and he plays so well,” said Nadiah Khansa, a student at SMA 28 of East Jakarta. She came to the venue with her schoolmates, Fairuz Hanifah and Hayah Afifah, and they all shared a common interest in Korean pop music.

Asked if they liked K-pop or Yong-dae first, the girls screamed in unison, “Yong-dae!”

“We definitely liked him first. Then, as K-pop hit Indonesia, we joined our friends who liked the music,” said Nadiah, while proudly showing off blurry photos of she had taken of Yong-dae walking past after losing the mixed doubles match on Wednesday.

The girls acknowledged that their enthusiasm for Yong-dae spanned more than just attending all of
his matches in Jakarta, but also meant following updates of Yong-dae’s breakup with his girlfriend via social media such as Twitter and Multiply.

Later on Wednesday, Yong-dae and his men’s doubles pair Jung Jae-sung met unseeded Chinese pair Liu Xiaolong and Qiu Zihan for their last chance to advance in the US$600,000 championship.

Having completed their high school exams and enjoying homework-free life, the girls pledged to stay for the late match.

Tournament director Mimi Irawan acknowledged the Lee Yong-dae fever, saying, “People used to come to watch Taufik [Hidayat]. Now they want to see Yong-dae. The atmosphere now is more like a concert than a badminton championship. Just look at all the youngsters in the audience.”

Mimi added that Lee Yong-dae fever is not the only reason for rise in attendance.

“The audience also came to see the Indonesian pair that won the Singapore Open [Liliyana and Tontowi]. The hype is definitely here, partly because our preevent promotional activities and that fact that it is a school holiday,” Mimi said.

In the end, it might seem like a battle between the allure of so-called K-pop culture and sports nationalism, and the winner of Wednesday’s battle was, to the national athletes’ delight, nationalism.

Asked whether they were disappointed to see the Korean pair crushed by the Indonesian pair, Arfa said, “Not at all. I’m glad Liliyana and Tontowi made it through to the next round.”

Yong-dae was not available for comment, as he declined to hold a press conference after losing, saying briefly, “I can’t speak English.”

— JP/Agnes Winarti