Equilibrium of Mind and Movement

Taekwondo escapes the confines of being just a martial art and Olympic sport. This Korean fighting skill, which appeared in the year 50 B.C., has been practiced in its contemporary version since 1955, providing all those who practice it – even recreationally – with a more comprehensive approach to life, instilling ancient self-discipline and a singular sense of movement and being.

By Vanja Savić
Photo by Aleksandar Andjić

Marking two decades of established diplomatic relations between Serbia and the Republic of Korea, the Korea National Taekwondo Demonstration Team from Seoul visited Belgrade this autumn. Twenty top masters, headed by coach Mr. Lee Choon Woo, demonstrated their skill before an audience of several thousand in Belgrade.

"Taekwondo is a type of martial art in which the stress is laid on self-defense. Its roots go way back, some 2,000 years into the past. I don’t believe there is a Korean who has not, at least once in his life, learned and practiced taekwondo, which, with the passing of time, became internationalised and commercialised. It was formally accepted as an Olympic sport at the Sydney Summer Olympics in the year 2000. Anyhow, self-defense implies not only defending oneself from unexpected and sudden attack, but also protecting others who find themselves in danger. In a sense, the spirit of taekwondo highlights self-sacrifice. As this year marks the 20^th anniversary of the establishment of formal relations between Korea and Serbia, this taekwondo demonstration assumes a much broader significance. If you should leave this hall with a sense of satisfaction, having felt the true spirit of this Korean fighting skill that you might find inspiring in the future, my heart will be filled with happiness and pride", said H. E. Mr. Kim Jong Hae, Republic of Korea Ambassador to Serbia, during the taekwondo presentation at the Sports Hall, held thanks to the longstanding and successful cooperation between the Taekwondo Association of Serbia (TAS) and the Republic of Korea Belgrade Embassy.

In its early stages, taekwondo was called tae kyon – after the names subak and hwarang. This martial art was developed in Korea by the Koguyro dynasty warriors at the time of the Three Kingdoms. In addition to tae kyon, history, Confucian and later Buddhist philosophy, ethics, music, art and military tactics were also studied at the Hwarang Do Academy. The governing principles of hwarang warriors were loyalty, trust, courage and justice.

Today’s taekwondo has lost virtually nothing compared with this ancient martial art because, apart from being a weaponless self-defensive fighting skill involving punches and kicks with hands and feet, it is much more than just a martial art. It is a system designed to train the body and cleanse the mind, placing special focus on the development of balance, a positive character and moral values. There are still specialised taekwondo universities in Korea such as Kukiwon, which, like Shaolin in China, is the main centre for cultivating and developing this skill in Korea.

The popularity of this sport needs no comment because today more than 70 million people in over 188 world countries have taken up the sport. It consists of several parts – the basics (kibon), forms (poomsae), self-defense (hosinsul), smashing (kyokpa) and sparring (kyorugi). Most taekwondo clubs in the world, including those in Serbia, cultivate its fighting version, but ample attention is also devoted to its recreational variety available to everyone – from four-year-olds to senior citizens.

This Korean skill arrived to Serbia from Germany in 1975, thanks to master Soo Nam Park, vice-president of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). He still comes to Belgrade at least once a year to attend examinations for master ranks. More than 7,000 people of all ages practice taekwondo in Serbia. More recently, it has become one of the most trophy-winning sports in Serbia. The Serbian coaches held in highest regard include Dragan Jović, Goran Petrović and Ljubiša Rakić. Members of the Galeb taekwondo club have won the most medals in the largest international competitions. Back in 1995, Zoran Prerad was ranked number three in the world. Tanja Grubor won the silver medal at the European Championships in 1996, while Dubravka Boškov returned with a bronze medal. Zoran Krajčinović became European taekwondo champion in 1998, while Zoran Samardžić won the bronze medal in 2008. Miroslav Krklješ, Vanja Babić, Milica Mandić, Bojan Bijelić, Tamara Gorjup, Stanimir Kujundžić and many others won medals at the Student Games. At the Universiade held in Belgrade this year, Serbian taekwondo participants took four of the eleven medals won by the overall Serbian representation. Thus, Ninoslav Babić (Fly – 58 kg) won the silver medal and Stevan Rašić (Bantam – 62 kg) the bronze, Andrijana Ćirić (Welter – 67 kg) as well as Nataša Bajić, Sanja Kočanski and Marijana Sudžuković in the poomsae category. Mention should also be made of the Eighth Galeb Trophy of Belgrade held on October 30-November 1, which rallied 600 competitors from 20 countries.

World Championships Bronze for Serbia Vanja Babić won bronze medal for Serbia in the under 87 heavyweight kilogram category at the World Taekwondo Championships held in Copenhagen on October 14-19 this year. Dragan Jović of the Galeb Taekwondo Club has been coaching Babić for a number of years, while Serbia’s national team coach at the World Championships, rallying over 1,000 participants, was Predrag Kovačić of the Azija Taekwondo Club.