VANK has launched a new website, Taekwondo, the Martial Art for Everyone, aimed at promoting Korean history and culture through the global appeal of Taekwondo. The site is designed to reach Taekwondo practitioners worldwide, offering an introduction to the martial art and its deep cultural and historical roots in Korea.
Taekwondo, now an official Olympic sport, boasts over 100 million practitioners across the globe. Just as K-pop and K-drama have drawn over 150 million international fans, Taekwondo has played a significant role in spreading the influence of the Korean Wave, contributing to the worldwide popularity of Korean culture.
VANK views the growing global interest in Korean culture, amplified by pop culture and Taekwondo, as a powerful tool for promoting Korean history and heritage. The newly launched site is expected to be a key platform in sharing the spiritual and ethical values of Taekwondo, which emphasize not only physical strength but also moral integrity and life lessons. This broader perspective of Taekwondo as a discipline rooted in life philosophy is something VANK hopes to communicate to a wider audience.
Through this initiative, VANK aims to turn the 100 million Taekwondo practitioners into ambassadors of Korean culture and history. The site provides a simple yet comprehensive overview of Taekwondo, its origins, its moral and philosophical underpinnings, and the cultural significance of Korea.
The website is divided into five main sections:
- Why Taekwondo?
- Let’s Taekwondo!
- Home of Taekwondo
- Bring Taekwondo to the World!
- About Us
In addition to the website, VANK has produced and distributed 8,000 large-scale world maps in both Korean and English, promoting Taekwondo. These maps, which are being provided to Taekwondo organizations globally, serve as educational tools to introduce Korean history and culture, fostering a new generation of global Korean ambassadors.
Just as VANK has used Taekwondo to promote Korean culture, it calls for greater national policy support to utilize Taekwondo schools and practitioners as platforms for global promotion of Korea’s rich history and traditions.
VANK believes that this global Taekwondo website will significantly contribute to informing practitioners—both new and experienced—about the history of Taekwondo and its foundational values. The site will help spread awareness about Korea’s culture and history, making Taekwondo not just a sport, but a global ambassador of Korean heritage.