By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

The southwestern province of North Jelloa has invited taekwondo practitioners and experts from 40 countries to take part in the third World Taekwondo Culture Expo from July 4 to 11, according to the organizers Wednesday.

They said that 2,000 followers of the popular Korean martial arts at home and abroad will visit the co-host cities of Jeonju and Muju.

``As the founding nation of taekwondo, Korea is the best place to learn not only the sport itself, but also the cultural and spiritual aspects of the sport,'' a spokesman of the event said. The festival is held every year.

The expo will hold training sessions, seminars, tournaments, performances and additional cultural activities around the scenic province.
^The event will also give participants a unique opportunity to network with taekwondo followers by competing in contests.

Currently, there are 70 million taekwondo practitioners in 188 countries in the world.

In light of taekwondo's global popularity, President Choue Chung-won of the World Taekwondo Federation has maintained that the true impetus for ``hallyu'' (Korean Wave) was provided by the discipline.

The term refers to the surge of popularity of Korean culture around the world, especially in Asia, since the beginning of the 21st century.

Meanwhile, Korea has tried to enhance its global image through expanding the Olympic sport around the world.

The expo is part of North Jeolla's promotional initiatives for the 2013 opening of the Muju Taekwondo Park as a Mecca of the global sport in the form of villages, museums and training centers.

The state project to build a taekwondo park in the area began in 2007.

For more information, visit the official Expo Web site at http://www.wtcexpo.net.

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr