Taekwondo: An international sport made in Korea

I’m not much of a martial arts fanatic, I do love watching sports, but the sports in my menu are basketball, formula one, tennis, golf, a bit of soccer and baseball (a bit seasonal though, only during world cup season and world baseball league period). But after writing about the Taekwondo Peace Corps (you might want to read my blog dated August 18, it talks about the group, the concept of which was espoused by a Korean, the president of the World Taekwondo Federation, Dr. Chungwon Choue), I guess writing about the sport would be a nice sequel, so to speak.

Taekwondo is a form of Korean martial art and at the same time the national sport of South Korea. Considered as one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, taekwondo is a method of self-defense that uses both the hands and feet. Taekwondo goes beyond punching, jumping, kicking, and breaking boards. More than developing physical fighting skills, it develops the character and personality of an individual through physical, mental and spiritual discipline.

Taekwondo is deeply rooted in Korean history, starting out as a defensive martial art and later developed as a recreational activity, it was then transformed into a way of training the body and mind. Even its name has undergone different changes, from Taekkyon or Subak, Sunbae, Tae Soo Do, and eventually Taekwondo.

Taekwondo has three basic components: pumsae; gyeokpa; and gyeorugi. Pumsae is consistency of defensive and attacking movements against an imaginary opponent or opponents. It is a practice which is devised to be performed in following the Lines of Movement in a systematic and consecutive way against an imaginary opponent or mulit-opponents by using various Taekwondo techniques of hand and foot. Gyeokpa is the so called power test - breaking of tiles, bricks, boards etc. by different parts of the body and specific techniques. Gyeorugi or sparring, is when two people gain attacking and defensive skills through close combat.

Taekwondo has undeniably evolved from being an ordinary form of martial art to a popular international sport. As evidently shown with the results of Taekwondo in the Beijing Olympic Games, of the 32 medals up for grabs, 22 countries won at least one medal. As expected, Korea took home 4 golds out of the 8 up for grabs, to reaffirm its supremacy in the sport. Surprisingly, there were some winners whom you might not have expected to excel in taekwondo, countries such as Iran (a female athlete at that) won a gold; Dominican Republic went home with a silver, and so did Thailand, Greece; Italy, and Norway; while Brazil; Cuba; Kazakhstan; Nigeria; Venezuela; and even the war-torn country of Afghanistan were just some of the winners of a bronze medal. These results are a living testament to the popularity and universal appeal of taekwondo.

Now-a-days, taekwondo is used as a medium to spread peace, thru the Taekwondo Peace Corps.

Taekwondo, more than a sport, it is a way of life.

North Chungcheong

I was watching TV last night and I chanced upon a travel guide show featuring North Chungcheong, South Korea. I must admit that aside from the well-known provinces of Korea, such as, Gangwondo, Gyeonggido, and of course, Jejudo, Chungcheongdo is quite foreign to me. I think the only thing I know about the area, is that, it is the hometown of Ban Ki Moon, the United Nations Secretary General. And since I’ve started writing a blog on Korea, I decided to watch the entire show, which lasted about 15 – 20 minutes. Chungcheungdo is a great place to visit and has much to offer to a potential tourist. It is interesting to note, that this is considered to be the center of Korea and the only province which is not in contact with the sea. Here are some of the interesting snippets I remembered from the show:

Beopjusa Temple - home to the Palsangjeon (wooden pagoda), and the only one left in Korea. It has a bronze buddha statue, which i think stands about 33 meters high. I wonder which is taller, this one or the one I saw in Thailand?

Chungju Lake – a man-made lake and is the largest multi-purpose lake in Korea

Gosu Cave – a limestone cave with beautiful stalagmites and stalactites formations

Wine train – this is interesting for wine lovers

A herb and flower garden which I still have to recall the name, where in the adjacent area, they serve flower salad.

I think they also mentioned Taekkyon, a form of Korean martial arts, originating from the area.

Persimon is quite abundant in the area and they also make this into candies. I still have to taste this type of candy because I’m used to eating fresh persimmon. Nobody makes this into preserved candies in my country.

They also host the former presidential retreat house, the Cheongnamdae.

I guess that’s what I remembered from the TV show… till next time.