South Koreans are known for their immense zeal for soccer. And come every World Cup season, the nation unites to cheer for the national team together, shouting the now-familiar chant: “Dae-Han-Min-Guk (Republic of Korea)!” followed by five claps.

For those wondering how the cheer came into existence, it has been disclosed that the signature chant was taken from a song titled “Into the Arena” by singer Shin Hae-chul. Shin wrote the song at the request of the nation’s official soccer fan club Red Devils in 2002, according to KCA Entertainment on Monday.

“Into the Arena” opens with the recognizable line “Dae-Han-Min-Guk!” followed by five claps, which is soon augmented with powerful sounds produced by Korean traditional percussion instruments such as the kkwaenggwari, janggu and buk. “Uh-ee! Uh-ee! Uh-ee!” the crowd shouts enthusiastically.

Though many people believe the chant is a public creation, Shin is in fact responsible for the nation’s trademark cheer, said KCA Entertainment.

“Many believe that the chant has no copyrights, but Shin, creator of the track that includes the chant, actually holds the copyright to its melody. However, given that the song was not created for profit, it is open for public use,” said KCA Entertainment.

By Sohn Ji-young (jiyoung.sohn@heraldcorp.com)