sports

A Taekwon-Do demonstration group of the Korean Taekwon-Do Committee performed a demonstration in Vladivostok City, Maritime Territory of Russia on May 24.

The demonstration gripped the hearts of the audience from the beginning and the whole course of it was greeted with their enthusiastic cheers.

The Olympiyetz Gymnasium of Vladivostok, just before the opening ceremony of the Primorsky Region Governor Cup Taekwon-Do Tournament, had a full house with the governor and officials of the Maritime Territory administration, people related to Taekwon-Do and amateurs.

The citizens quietly waited for the demonstration of Taekwon-Do with the excitement to see the demonstration of instructors of the Taekwon-Do homeland and intense curiosity.

As all the eyes of the audience were turned on the members of the demonstration group of the DPRK entering the venue of the opening ceremony, the national anthem of the DPRK was played and the flag of the DPRK was displayed on the large TV electronic screen, which wrapped the demonstration group members in a solemn atmosphere.

Ri Se Jin, 7th-dan master, and several others came out first and performed the Changhon pattern in group and their synchronized and smart performance of pattern movements greatly excited the audience.

It was followed by the fast power breaking and self-defense routine performed by Hwang Kum Hyok and four other instructors. As they showed the kaleidoscopic and quick movements of Korean Taekwon-Do, a deafening cheer went up from the crowds.

After instructor Kim Un Hyok attracted the attention of spectators with speed power breaking movements, Kim Myong Chol, 8th-dan master, broke the 12cm-thick pine board with his foot, greatly impressing the whole audience.

The demonstration climaxed with power breaking with successive turns, one-to-three sparring, power breaking by hands and feet showing strong striking power and general power breaking, each of which met with wide acclaim from the audience.

After the demonstration was over, the governor of Maritime Territory wrote “Thank you for showing a wonderful Taekwon-Do demonstration” on a piece of the 12cm-thick pine board broken by the foot of 8th-dan Master Kim Myong Chol.

The venue of the opening ceremony was overflowing with a congratulatory mood, many people coming up to the arena to ask for writing signatures on the pieces of broken pine boards and others sending greetings of encouragement by waving their hands from their seats.

The spectators admired the demonstration of the DPRK Taekwon-Do instructors, praising the Korean martial art as a unique and mysterious one and the one full of the strength and spirit of the Korean people and saying they would work hard to turn Vladivostok into the centre of development of Taekwon-Do in the Far East with it as an occasion.

With the citizens marvelling at Taekwon-Do, calling it a “true martial art” and saying that the demonstration was perfect as “it showed high techniques of the martial art including pattern, sparring, special technique and power breaking to the full”, the Maritime Territory TV channel reported the news about the Taekwon-Do demonstration on May 24 and then broadcast it three times a day on May 25 and 26.

The demonstration lasted for only 40 minutes.

“The members of the demonstration group tried to fully show the spirit and mettle of Koreans in all events including the power breaking of well over a hundred marble slabs and clubs,” said Ri Yong Il, head of the Taekwon-Do Demonstration Team of the Korean Taekwon-Do Committee. “As was shown in this Taekwon-Do demonstration, we will continue to demonstrate the spirit of Taekwon-Do, which is called with the name of our country, to the world in the future, too.”