When Taekwondo meets Marvel

Children practice taekwondo wearing Daedo International’s new taekwondo gear during a showcase in Barcelona, Nov. 11. Korea Times photos by Baek Byung-yeul

• Published Nov 22, 2017 6:18 PM KST
• Updated Nov 22, 2017 6:18 PM KST

By Baek Byung-yeul

Barcelona -- Taekwondo is enjoyed by many in the world as a recreational activity, a competitive sport and self-defense martial art.

For taekwondo practitioners, Daedo International is known as one of the world’s leading taekwondo equipment and clothing suppliers. The company has been making efforts to help more children learn the Korean combat sport by selling quality equipment.

In a bid to attract greater interest from young taekwondo students, Daedo recently announced its collaboration with Disney’s Marvel Entertainment, as the company will soon release taekwondo protectors that have Marvel’s superhero characters on them.

The Barcelona-based company unveiled its taekwondo equipment line on Nov. 11. In collaboration with Marvel, the new products for children include Iron Man-style electronic chest protectors, Spider-Man chest protectors and Captain America shin, hand and forearm guards.

A company official said they decided to collaborate with Marvel Entertainment, expecting their famous characters to inspire more children to learn taekwondo.

“Despite all good things about taekwondo, the fact is we see so many kids leave taekwondo and quit their taekwondo clubs in just a few weeks or a couple of months,” said Brian Kim, Daedo global marketing and operations manager. “What can make them more motivated?

“We need to create a better and more fun world of taekwondo for children. We need to make it so taekwondo comes to them more naturally and as more fun. In order to do this, Daedo is eager to bring in Marvel superheroes to inspire children to taekwondo.”

As Marvel superheroes fight for world peace, Kim said the company could also find the same virtue in taekwondo.

“According to the World Taekwondo Federation, taekwondo means the right way of using all parts of the body that are represented by fists and feet,” Kim said. “And it is to control fights and keep the peace.

“That’s what superheroes do. They fight for justice. They survive through extremely tough situations. They have exceptional mind-focusing ability, and they never give up nor get defeated. For children, they don’t need to be taught these kinds of virtues. They already know like the mother tongue language. This is all because superheroes are so awesome and so natural to them.

“For us, we don’t need to put effort in to convert the concept of taekwondo and superheroes because the two are already a convergence in itself. This is why we are bringing Marvel superheroes’ inspiration to the world of taekwondo for children.”

Daedo also unveiled training shirts that have Marvel characters. The company said the shirts can be used not only for taekwondo practice but also for casual wear.

Among the new children’s taekwondo equipment, Daedo said they are expecting a big reaction to the Iron Man chest protectors.

Unlike the traditional red and blue taekwondo protectors, the company said children can now do taekwondo “gyeorugi” (sparring) with each other wearing Iron Man electronic chest protectors. As Iron Man has “the arc reactor” in his chest to keep him alive, the new protectors feature an extractable flashlight and beeping heart so children can watch their score in real time.

Daedo said the Marvel-themed taekwondo equipment will be sold in 20 countries by the end the year.

Park Chuen-wook, founder and CEO of Daedo, said more taekwondo equipment featuring Marvel superheroes will be released early next year. The 2018 products will feature characters from Thor, Hulk and other heroes.

“Taekwondo has been increasing its presence in the world, becoming one of the principal sports of the Olympics, but it is rooted in taekwondo clubs,” Park said. “To cultivate more talented taekwondo athletes, it is required that more children enjoy taekwondo in clubs. But we have seen that many of them are quitting because of a lack of interest and I believe this Marvel superhero-featured taekwondo equipment can attract their interest.”