The Role of Birthplace of Taekwon-Do as a Locomotive

“The credit for the worldwide popularization and development of Taekwon-Do goes to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the birthplace of Taekwon-Do, which played the role as a locomotive in the development of Taekwon-Do techniques in the world,” says Kim Jong Chol, vice-chairman of the jury committee of the ITF.

As Taekwon-Do spread across the world, the DPRK has encouraged everyone in the country to practice Taekwon-Do, set up a well-knit system of training reserve players so that competent practitioners could give full play to their talents to their heart’s content, and developed the techniques of the martial art.

“Our country has a well-regulated system of training technical talents of Taekwon-Do. Taekwon-Do is included in the sports course at all educational institutions, ranging from kindergarten to university. Schools, schoolchildren’s palaces and halls of schoolchildren give a systematic training to the students who are interested in Taekwon-Do. There are Taekwon-Do teams and colleges in every province of the country. These training systems have produced world champions possessed of a high level of spiritual and moral attainment and noble personality peculiar to Taekwon-Do practitioners,” said Jang Gyong Ok, Labour Hero of the DPRK and People’s Athlete, who is also vice-chair of the women’s committee of the ITF and a department director of the Korean Taekwon-Do Committee.

The DPRK team made its debut at the 5th ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships, where more than 10 of its players became champions in several events, thus coming first in the country standings.

At every world championships that followed, the country never failed to lead the country standings, some of its players winning in the sparring event for two, three or even four times.

At the 22nd championships held last year, the DPRK players won 64 gold medals and 31 trophies including the winning all-event trophy and five individual technical prizes to top the total country rankings.

Champions are awarded official commendations.

In the capital city of Pyongyang there is Taekwon-Do Palace, the largest Taekwon-Do training dojang in the world, built in 1992. Beside it is the Taekwon-Do Holy House built in April 2012 and the area was named the Holy Place of Taekwon-Do. The area performs the mission as a global hub for the popularization and development of Taekwon-Do techniques and exchanges and cooperation in that field. A large number of tourists and foreigners say after visiting the area that they have come to better know about the birthplace of Taekwon-Do and about Pyongyang where it originated.

Measures taken by the government make it possible for the country to maintain the purity of Taekwon-Do and play the role as a model of popularizing it and as a standard-bearer in developing its techniques on the international arena.