A new exhibition at the Korean Cultural Centre takes visitors through the history of Taekwondo – from its beginnings in the 1940s to its growth as a global sport. The exhibition, titled Taekwondo, Facing the World , was inaugurated recently in the presence of Korean Ambassador Lee Seong-ho. Through a collection shared by the National Taekwondo Museum in Korea, the exhibition explores themes such as the development of protective equipment, the standardisation of uniforms, the recognition of Taekwondo as Korea’s national sport, and its rise in the world.
Korean Ambassador Lee Seong-ho(left) at the event
The exhibition showcases the development of protective equipment used in matches. From the first use of protective gear (head and hand protectors) in 1961 at a Korea-Japan Tang Soo Do martial arts contest, to today’s electronic protective systems, the evolution — from bamboo to smart technology — is presented
Black belt worn by Choi Yeong-gil, a member of the Korean national team in 1966
Rise of Taekwondo“Between 1944 and 1947, five Taekwondo kwans (schools) were established. In 1959, the first demonstration team was sent to Vietnam, where they taught the martial art for nearly a decade. During this time, an estimated 200,000 Vietnamese practiced Taekwondo. In 1965, a Taekwondo goodwill mission was dispatched overseas to enhance the martial art’s national prestige through global demonstrations. The mission visited Germany, Italy, the UAE, Turkey, Malaysia, and Singapore over a span of about one month. Throughout the 1960s, a total of 169 Taekwondo masters were sent to 19 countries,” reads a wall panel at the exhibition.
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