Ssirum VS Sumo
VS First Sumo Exhibition Held Amid Cheers and Guards

Korea Times, South Korea - Feb 15 --The first-ever sumo exhibition in South Korea got off to a successful start despite early concerns and controversy. The seats in Changchung Stadium were mostly filled on Saturday but many were taken up by Japanese tourists and residents and older Koreans.

They cheered all the players, especially home-grown star Kim Sung-tak, known as Kasugao in sumo. He was defeated in the second round by Mongolian Yokozuna Asashoryu on Saturday... big issue is the rivalry between the traditional forms of wrestling in the two countries. As ssirum and sumo have some similarities, it's natural for them to be compared with a good measure of national pride. Fanning the flames, the sumo exhibition received attention that ssirum never gets.

"I don't think most ssirum people care seriously about the sumo matches in Korea"