(September 1, 2016) – During the 2002 World Cup, Seoul’s iconic City Hall Plaza was a sea of red, as countless thousands of Korean soccer fans filled the scene in their red strips. On Sunday evening, the plaza will be a sea of white uniforms as taekwondo takes over the space.
The “World Taekwondo Peace Festival” will be headlined by high-flying, high-kicking taekwondo demonstrations, will offer fans the chance to meet and collect the autographs of Team Korea’s five Rio medalists, and will feature a “Taekwondo History Wall” set up in the plaza.
K-pop will also be part of the show, with stars including I.O.I. , Kim Tae-woo and Tae-jin Ah performing.
The Sunday festival takes place on “Taekwondo Day,” Sept 4. That date commemorates the day, in 1994, on which taekwondo was named an official Olympic sport in advance of the 2000 Sydney Olympics in 2000. While taekwondo’s Olympic debut had been at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 as a demonstration sport rather than a program event.
The event follows the smash success of the “Festival of Fight” – the four-day taekwondo competition at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. It aims to prove that the Korean combat sport is not just for elite athletes, but for everyone – regardless of age, race, colour or creed.
“A sport with 80 million people in 206 countries can and should play a bigger role for world peace,” said WTF President Chungwon Choue. “The WTF acknowledges the positive impact taekwondo can have on more people, especially those living in conflict zones, and will do more work for this end.”
Anyone with an interest in taekwondo is welcome to attend the event, which is open to the public and free of charge.
A collaboration between the WTF and the Global Taekwondo Support Foundation for Peace and Unification, the festival is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Unification, the National Unification Advisory Council, the Korean Sports Promotion Foundation and the Korean Petroleum Association.
Time: 17:30–21:30, Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016
Location: Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall (Subway: City Hall)
Event Scenario:
17:30: Taekwondo demonstrations/performances by groups including the famous WTF Demonstration Team
18:00: Opening ceremony. Speeches. Video show
19:10: Intermission
19:30: Taekwondo demonstrations. On-stage interview with Team Korea Olympic medalists. Video on great moments in taekwondo. Video on history of taekwondo. K-pop performances.
21: 30: Ends
