SOUTH KOREA: AMERICAN FOOTBALL - Overwhlemed U.S. football hero Hines Ward sheds tears after Seoul mayor awards him with honorary citizenship

Record ID: 206098

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: AMERICAN FOOTBALL - Overwhlemed U.S. football hero Hines Ward sheds tears after Seoul mayor awards him with honorary citizenship
  • Date: 6th April 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE MVP HINES WARD SAYING: "Um -- I'm at a loss for words. Very emotional. This (documentation of Seoul citizenship) really means a lot to me." (TRANSLATOR TRANSLATES INTO KOREAN AS WARD SHEDS TEARS AND AUDIENCE CLAPS) WARD SAYS: "Thanks." (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE MVP HINES WARD SAYING: "Um -- I j
  • Embargoed: 21st April 2006 13:00
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  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA9NZG55EFOSIGXJAD57H5POZKL
  • Story Text: Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward shed tears on Wednesday (April 5) during a ceremony that awarded him as an honourary Seoul citizen.
    Ward, who is half-Korean, is on a 10-day tour in South Korea as a triumphant homecoming to his mother's country after he was awarded the most valuable player during the Superbowl in February.
    His heart-warming tale of being raised alone by his poor immigrant mother in Georgia, Ward became an instant celebrity in South Korea, which embraced him as a new-found sports hero.
    Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak named Ward an honourary Seoul citizen at City Hall, and an overwhlemed Ward shed tears. "Um -- I'm at a loss for words. Very emotional. This (documentation of Seoul citizenship) really means a lot to me, " he said English, shedding tears as his words were translated into Korean and the audience clapped. "Thanks."
    Due to a strict family registry system, a traditionally closed society and a history of leaders speaking of the pride of pure Korean blood, mixed race children often say they find themselves ostracised in South Korean society. Ward thanked his mother for his upbringing despite difficult circumstances.
    "Um -- I just wanna say -- to my mother. I really love you very much," he said.
    "It's something the first time of my life -- I used to be ashamed to say I was Korean, but today I just wanna thank you guys -- because -- I apologise to you for being ashamed to say I was Korean," Ward said.
    Korean-American football star Ward, 30, was born in Seoul and was last in South Korea when he was a little over a year old. His Korean mother and African-American father, who was a U.S. serviceman, moved to the United States and split up soon after.
    Ward and his mother Kim Young-hee became the centre of a media frenzy since their arrival in South Korea on Monday (April 3). Ward has been receiving more attention than most heads of state who visit Seoul, with about 200 members of the media attending a news conference with him on Tuesday (April 4) at a hotel in the capital that was carried live on national television. His news conference was followed by lunch with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday (April 4).
    Ward said during his visit he wanted to visit relatives he has never met, trace his Korean roots, perhaps look at buying a home in Seoul for his mother and offer encouragement to mixed-race children.
    Most South Koreans knew little of Ward, a wide receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and almost nothing of the National Football League, until the Steelers triumphed over the Seattle Seahawks in February to win the Super Bowl. The day after the game, his picture was splashed across the front pages of South Korean newspapers.
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