On the 18th, the 72nd Korea-USA Alliance Taekwondo Festival will be grandly held at President’s Park in front of the White House in Washington, D.C. This event is the first large-scale official taekwondo event commemorating the Korea-USA Alliance, and Kukkiwon President Lee Dong-seop and the taekwondo demonstration team will attend and perform, aiming to capture the world's attention.
This festival originates from the connection with the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump. In November 2021, Kukkiwon President Lee Dong-seop awarded former President Trump an honorary 9th dan in taekwondo, and at that time, former President Trump praised, "Taekwondo is the best of all martial arts" and stated that if he were to serve as president, he would wear a taekwondo uniform while speaking in the National Assembly and invite the taekwondo demonstration team during summits.
That promise has become a reality after four years. Former President Trump personally invited Kukkiwon President Lee Dong-seop to this event and requested a special performance from the representative taekwondo demonstration team of Korea. Accordingly, President Lee Dong-seop will visit the United States as a cultural diplomacy envoy of Kukkiwon to showcase the essence of taekwondo on the world stage.
About 2,000 people will participate in the event, with 95% composed of local Americans, demonstrating that taekwondo has already established itself as a "diplomatic asset" beyond culture and education in the United States. The historical significance is even greater, especially since it is the first taekwondo event held in front of the White House.
Kukkiwon President Lee Dong-seop noted, "This festival in front of the White House (Washington, D.C.) goes beyond a simple sports event; it is a venue to showcase Korea's cultural diplomacy and the globalization of taekwondo," adding that it would be an opportunity to deeply engrain the spirit of the Korea-USA Alliance and the philosophy of peace in taekwondo into American society.
[Photo] Provided by Kukkiwon.
[OSEN]