About 30 children attend taekwondo class in Seoul. They respectfully bow to their instructor and warm up before following the master’s taekwondo moves.

You can easily find a taekwondo academy wherever you go in Korea. There are some 10 thousand taekwondo studios all over the country teaching Korea’s national martial art to more than seven million people. To Koreans taekwondo is just as much a character-building education as a sport. Physically unfit children become healthy, insecure ones grow confident, and shy ones become outgoing. Children learn to socialize and develop through taekwondo.

- I can become strong and make lots of friends by learning taekwondo. I was really thin, but now I’m stronger. My parents are proud of me for growing taller. Taekwondo kicks are awesome.
- I can make many friends and become healthy. Kicks and shouts are fun in taekwondo and my uniform looks cool.
- I can work on my flexibility. I can do splits now and my injured hips got better with taekwondo. My body has become really flexible, and I have become more confident and health.
- I am much stronger after learning taekwondo. I can do kicks and poomsae품새 best. I feel great for training in taekwondo. And I’m healthier.
- My appetite has become better.

Taekwondo was included in the Olympic Games as a trial event in the 1988 Summer Olympics. After becoming an official event in 2000 for the Sydney Olympics, taekwondo has grown to be one of the most exciting and beloved martial arts. Currently there are about 120 thousand taekwondo studios and some 77 million students are honing their taekwondo skills in all corners of the world. If you want to learn more about Korea’s traditional martial arts, come to Kukkiwon or the World Taekwondo Headquarters located in southern Seoul.

Kukkiwon is accessible from Exit 8 of Gangnam Station of subway number 2. You will see a small hill as you walk toward the Kukkiwon intersection. Standing on the hill is a traditional-looking building with the octagonal tiled roof and white columns. Over the front gate of the building is a plaque with the name “Kukkiwon.” The Gangnam neighborhood where Kukkiwon is situated is notorious for heavy foot and car traffic, but inside Kukkiwon is a totally different world. Ensconced within Yeoksam역삼 Park, the Kukkiwon compound is filled with trees and serenity. Here is Kukkiwon’s publicity team chief Lee Jong-gap to tell us about the role of Kukkiwon.

Kukkiwon was established in 1972 as the world headquarters of taekwondo. We issue skills certificates and train taekwondo instructors, who either go overseas or open local studios to promulgate the martial art. Kukkiwon is the Mecca of taekwondo in charge of skills evaluation and training.

The four-storied almost 4,000-square-meter building of Kukkiwon features a stadium with the capacity for 3,000 people, lecture halls where taekwondo theories are taught, and the world’s first taekwondo museum, as well as amenities like a cafeteria, shower facilities, and locker rooms. As the heart of taekwondo worldwide Kukkiwon is always bustling with taekwondo officials and aficionados from all over the world. One thing you cannot miss when you are at Kukkiwon is the taekwondo demonstrations. Every Monday and Friday morning the Kukkiwon taekwondo team stages a demonstration. If you are fortunate enough to be there on the day of evaluation, you will be able to see how taekwondo students compete to get their skill levels upgraded. Luckily a demonstration is underway and here’s coach Seong Si-heun of the Kukkiwon team.

The Kukkiwon demonstration team boasts of the longest tradition and the highest skill level. Today’s showing is arranged by the Gangnam district office for foreign tourists. The 20-minute session shows the basic taekwondo forms called poomsae and the breaking of wooden boards and bricks called gyeokpa. Some of the more technical gyeokpa moves are aerial techniques in which a practitioner jumps high in the air with the help of another and breaks a target in the air. The team consists of 70 martial artists, some of whom are college students and office workers. Team members are

The Kukkiwon demonstration team was founded in 1974. It is also a taekwondo PR delegation touring some 100 countries around the world. Foreign tourists who have come here as a part of their itinerary excitedly look forward to the demonstration.

-I came here as a part of the Korea University foreign student tour group. We are here to see the black belts. I’m really looking forward to it, because I’ve never seen a taekwondo demonstration before. I hope to see some moves like the ones by Jet Li or Jackie Chan.

The demonstration starts at last. Quiet meditation music fills the stadium.

The demonstration team clad in white uniforms start off with loud shouts and powerful basic movements.

Their shouts resonate in the stadium. Here’s Hong Hee-jeong, a member of the demonstration team.

We start off with meditation then move on to the powerful and dynamic part. We show our unity through poomsae demonstration, which foreign tourists like very much. They often ask whether they can take home the broken pine boards, or ask for photos and autographs. We feel great because we are made to feel like celebrities. We are proud because the stardom was achieved through taekwondo.

The demonstration grows more exciting as team members engage in poomsae, gyeokpa, and gyeorugi, which means competing. The atmosphere peaks as a blindfolded member attempts to kick two apples placed at the tip of a sharp sword. The spectators hold their breaths as they watch this dangerous sequence. One slight mistake in the kick angle could lead to a serious injury.

The exciting and difficult move elicits a collective sigh and big shouts from the audience. Next up is the breaking of pine boards with an aerial spin kick.

The sound of pine boards breaking in two sends shivers down the spectators’ spines. The most popular part of the demonstration is the serial gyeokpa sequence.

-This gyeokpa sequence has one male member using different kicks and punches to break a series of pine boards. The last sequence is to break a target high up in the air over an obstacle or a person. Foreigners just go wild over this sequence and they tend to regard taekwondo with new admiration and respect. That’s when I feel proud for doing taekwondo.

As nine pine boards break one by one spectators cheer on with a loud applause and encouraging shouts. Did they enjoy the demonstration?

-I’m Victoria from New Jersey. I think the taekwondo demonstration was very heroic and exciting. I’ve never had a taekwondo lesson, but after seeing this, I’m really motivated to learn taekwondo. I will learn it someday.
-The taekwondo demonstration was great. The team members seem to have practiced for a long time. It was amazing. I can’t explain it well, but I think taekwondo is the spirit of Korea.

Visitors move on to the taekwondo museum after the demonstration. Located on the second floor of the building behind the main structure, the taekwondo museum was opened on November 30th, 1991. Inside the smallish building measuring only 198 square meters, about 2,500 pieces of materials related to taekwondo are displayed for a sweeping look at the history of taekwondo. Here’s Hong Jeong-yeon of Kukkiwon to explain more about the museum.

Our museum is the only taekwondo museum in Korea and the world. It is divided into two sections. The part you see as you enter the building is the Olympic hall. Visitors can see photos, posters, and all the records pertaining to the selection of taekwondo as an official Olympic event.

In the other section visitors can see the medals, trophies, banners, videos and other myriads of documents and materials on domestic and overseas taekwondo competitions. These displays help visitors understand better about the history and prestige of this national sport in the global arena.

This part of the museum shows the history of taekwondo and Kukkiwon as well as our achievements in international and domestic competitions. It features photos and trophies and medals. Olympic team member Jeong Guk-hyun donated his uniform worn during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, when taekwondo was a trial event. Referee’s uniform from the 1986 Asian Games is also in display.

One of the most eye-catching displays is the trophy of the World Taekwondo Championship hosted by Korea. Here’s Hong Jeong-yeon of Kukkiwon to tell us more about the competition.

The World Taekwondo Championship is the most meaningful competition for taekwondo practitioners. The largest trophy among the displays is from the second championship. It measures more than 50 centimeters tall.

The museum features all the posters and rosters from the world’s most esteemed taekwondo competition. Visitors to the museum are delighted to find the photos and names of former taekwondo champions. Here’s Hong Jeong-yeon of Kukkiwon to explain more.

Together with the selection of the national team, the World Taekwondo Championship is the most important competition for taekwondo students. It was first held in Kukkiwon in 1973 and is hosted biennially by countries around the world. The names and photos of former competitors are hung on the wall. Foreign visitors really like it when they find their friends, athletes, or masters in the old black and white pictures.

After touring the museum Koreans swell with renewed pride at their national martial art and feel admiration for taekwondo athletes of the past.

- I just knew that Korea was the home of taekwondo, nothing more. But after touring this museum I realized how people worked hard to spread taekwondo in the world. I want to recommend this museum to others.
- As a taekwondo student myself, I feel grateful to older taekwondo athletes who had to endure difficult situation.
- it’s nice to see the photos of the 1988 Olympics. I’m going to tell my relatives and foreign friends about the museum.

Kukkiwon has played an instrumental part in publicizing and spreading taekwondo to all parts of the world. Kukkiwon is not just the headquarters for the sport of taekwondo, but the champion of Korean spirit embodied in taekwondo.