Korea is a peninsular located to the north-west of China with Japan to the south-east, across the Korea Strait. During the first part of the twentieth century, Korea was occupied by Japan with much of its culture and martial arts subjugated by the Japanese. Korea was liberated at the end of the Second World War in 1945 but civil war broke out in 1950, with hostilities ceasing in 1953. Korea was then divided into two separate nations, North Korea being ruled under a communist dictator, Kim Il Sung (and now his son, Kim Jong-Il) and South Korea being run under a multi-party democracy.

North Korea is noted for being a secretive state, with human rights abuses reported by Amnesty International. One event of note was the famine in 1995 where millions were reputed to have died, partly linked to the collapse of the former Soviet Union. North Korea has also been investigated by the US military for conducting nuclear tests, although any nuclear facilities have now been dismantled. However, regardless of this country’s turmoil, General Choi Hong Hi was able to introduce ITF Taekwondo in the early eighties. ITF Taekwondo has now become North Korea’s national sport, with their display team now travelling internationally to demonstrate their extensive skills.

South Korea is North Korea’s political opposite. It is known as an Asian tiger nation, with its rapid economic growth in the late sixties and seventies making it now the twelfth largest economy in the world. It is a world leader in semi-conductor technology and is known for its global companies, Hyundai, Samsung and LG. In terms of martial arts, Seoul is where the WTF Taekwondo headquarters are located, with also ITF Taekwondo being represented. South Korea’s capital, Seoul, was the location of the 1988 Olympics, where WTF Taekwondo was first introduced as a demonstration sport.

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