Kim vs. Lee
According to the 2000 South Korean census, there were 45,985,289 people residing in South Korea, and 9,925,949 (21.6%) of them had the family name Kim. (From what I can decipher from this Korean page, it appears that the Wiki page is wrong.) 6,796,227 (14.8%) were named Lee. Park was the third most common name with 3,895,121 (8.5%).
It is therefore not surprising that when it comes time to select the rosters for national athletic teams, these three names would be well represented. Of the 30 members of this spring's World Baseball Classic (WBC), there were 8 Kims (23.3%), 5 Lees (16.7%), and 4 Parks (13.3%), and of the 23 men on the Korean side in this month's World Cup, there are 8 Kims (34.8%), 5 Lees (21.7%), and 2 Parks (8.7%). However, I did notice something very surprising when I looked at the starting line ups for these teams.
In the WBC, the most common Korean starting line up had all five Lees in it, and in fact, the clean up hitter, first baseman Hee-Seop Choi, was the only one of the first six batters not named Lee. Only one Kim started. One Park was among the starting 9 hitters, and one of the starting pitcher was Chan Ho Park.
In the World Cup, when South Korea took to the pitch for their opening match against Togo, again just like in the WBC, all five Lees started while only two Kims started. (One Park started.)
This is admittedly a small sample size, but still, it makes me wonder. Are people named Lee more likely to be the elite of the elite Korean athletes? Do Kims do well enough to make the squad, but choke under the presure of the finals? Is there something that can explain this?
It is therefore not surprising that when it comes time to select the rosters for national athletic teams, these three names would be well represented. Of the 30 members of this spring's World Baseball Classic (WBC), there were 8 Kims (23.3%), 5 Lees (16.7%), and 4 Parks (13.3%), and of the 23 men on the Korean side in this month's World Cup, there are 8 Kims (34.8%), 5 Lees (21.7%), and 2 Parks (8.7%). However, I did notice something very surprising when I looked at the starting line ups for these teams.
In the WBC, the most common Korean starting line up had all five Lees in it, and in fact, the clean up hitter, first baseman Hee-Seop Choi, was the only one of the first six batters not named Lee. Only one Kim started. One Park was among the starting 9 hitters, and one of the starting pitcher was Chan Ho Park.
In the World Cup, when South Korea took to the pitch for their opening match against Togo, again just like in the WBC, all five Lees started while only two Kims started. (One Park started.)
This is admittedly a small sample size, but still, it makes me wonder. Are people named Lee more likely to be the elite of the elite Korean athletes? Do Kims do well enough to make the squad, but choke under the presure of the finals? Is there something that can explain this?
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