Taekwondo to kick off Seoul's new tourist-focused entertainment offerings

By Ko Dong-hwan

Visitors and tourists to Seoul are sure to get more kick out of their time spent here starting next month, as the city government and taekwondo athletes are collaborating for a series of shows and events.

The new initiative by the Seoul Metropolitan Government is betting on the country's martial art of taekwondo to place global attention on the city and improve the local tourism industry. Since chosen by the city government in 2007 as one of the city's tourism highlights, taekwondo has been an important ingredient of the cultural side of not just the city but the country.

The first in the lineup is the “Seoul Taekwondo Special Performance” on May 1. Held at Seoul Square in front of City Hall, the concert will feature various artists, ranging from martial artists to breakdancers, traditional Korean musicians and classical instrumentalists.

The performers will demonstrate how taekwondo can blend its appeal with different entertainment styles. Members of World Taekwondo Headquarters ― also known as Kukkiwon ― will collaborate with violinist Seo Ji-woo, while K-pop dancers and percussionists will each share the stage with the martial artists from K-Tigers and Little K-Tigers for their respective collaborations.

Just Jerk, a dance crew who became the final champion from Mnet's popular TV dance competition show “Street Man Fighter” last year, rapper Xitsuh, singer Juniel and taekwondo percussion performance crew Bigabi Company will join in the concert on Monday.

Following the concert, the city government is also jump-starting the city's long-standing taekwondo performances that have been halted since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting on May 12 at Namsangol Hanok Village at the foot of Mount Nam in downtown Seoul, the event is held every Friday and Saturday until October ― except July and August. The event has been held in the city for the past decade thanks to its steady popularity among foreign tourists, according to the city government's Tourism Business Division.

The weekly shows comprise of martial artists performing together with traditional Korean music, breaking wooden boards and performing poomsae ― a sequence of taekwondo techniques linked together with a pattern of moves. Following the shows, viewers are invited to experience taekwondo for themselves ― wearing uniforms, learning kicking techniques and poomsae poses and breaking boards. The experience lessons should be registered for in advance.

“Taekwondo is a hallyu content that has both artistic aspects and entertaining elements,” said Kim Young-hwan, chief of the Tourism and Sports Bureau under the city government. “Taekwondo will be the No.1 tourism brand for the city and the country.”