Taekwondo | Others take cars but Jung Hyun Cho brings kicks and shocks to Finland – “I want to help everyone”

South Korean Jung Hyun Cho, 51, arrived in Finland last September. In his pocket was a one-year residence permit and in his suitcase a white, black-collar work suit, dobok.

For the first time, Dobok had use in the October camp controls.

Cho is a taekwondo dispatch master. He was sent to Finland by a sports organization Kukkiwon. In Finland, Cho received the title of federal coach.

Cho is part of the machinery by which South Korea has spread and maintained its national sport of taekwondo around the world.

Taekwondon the world organization World Taekwondo (WT) already has more than 210 national member unions.

The popularity of the sport is partly due to taekwondo masters who have gone to different countries and taekwondo ambassadors like Cho. Intensified species exports began in the 1960s. In their destination country, newcomers introduced the sport and opened taekwondo schools.

Master Jung Hyun Cho did not come to Finland to establish taekwondo schools: WT-taekwondon was brought to Finland by the grandmaster Dae Jin Hwang as early as the late 1970s. The amateur community is well-established, and the value competitions have progressed to the podium. The Finnish Taekwondo Association has more than 70 member associations.

So what is Chon’s role in Finland?

Finland Executive Director of the Taekwondo Association Tatu Iivanainen says taekwondo ambassadors are currently developing top sports or struggles in the target country. They support the national team and competitors or, for example, train the police.

According to Iivanainen, Cho focuses especially on strengthening competitive sports in Finland.

“Cho handles the match coaching of the association in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Familiarize athletes with the rhythm of the week, provide opportunities for the athlete’s lifestyle. ”

“Cho will also direct at camps and generally promote taekwondo in a variety of ways. For example, club and school visits are planned, ”Iivanainen lists.

In February, directed by Chon there was one match practice a week at Urhea Hall in Vallila, and since the beginning of March there have been several in the Helsinki metropolitan area.

“Anyone interested in the match is welcome to join,” Cho says.

Taekwondo is part of South Korea’s country identity. Martial and martial arts flourished on the Korean Peninsula for up to a couple of thousand years before taekwondo evolved into its current form in the 1950s.

National reparation was withheld from 1910 to 1945, when Korea was a colony of Japan. During that time, traditional Korean martial arts were banned. They were secretly practiced.

With the Korean War of 1950–1953, the peninsula was divided into North and South Korea.

Taekwondo did not remain united either. Martial arts schools originally wanted to create a common style and set up the Korean Taekwondo Association (KTA) for this purpose. The style of ITF Taekwon-Do still broke its way in 1966.

WT Taekwondo was organized in the 1970s. In 1972, the KTA and the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established Kukkiwon, which nurtures the educational content of the style. The project received state support.

The following year, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), the umbrella organization for the sport, was born. The name was cleaned up in 2017 as World Taekwondo (WT).

On their website Kukkiwon says it has 56 ambassadors on five continents.

Finnish taekwondo ambassador Cho has inaugurated his case. He has a university degree in coaching and a black belt from 8. Dan, awarded by Kukkiwon.

When the news that Finland was about to get a taekwondo ambassador reached Chon, he signed up for the oitis candidate. As a family, he appreciated, among other things, Finland’s quality education. Cho’s choice was confirmed in the summer of 2019. While waiting for a residence permit in South Korea, he studied Finnish and held taekwondo online exercises.

Chon’s salary is paid by Kukkiwon, which is funded by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Rent and insurance are also covered.

In Finland, Cho settled in Espoo. The family reunites when the wife Seon Mi Jin and son Won Jin Cho will travel to Finland in May.

Ambassador of Taekwondo makes famous not only taekwondo, but also the homeland of the species and its culture.

“Cho is the contact person for both Kukkiwon and the Finnish Embassy in South Korea,” says Iivanainen.

South Korea values ​​taekwondo and it shows up in funding. For example, the South Korean Embassy has sponsored the Ambassador’s Cup in Finland six times.

The better known South Korea is, the better its products will be of interest. However, according to Cho, trade promotion is not the main thing. In addition, he calls for reciprocity.

“South Korea could be interested in Finnish winter sports, for example,” says Cho.

Jung Hyun Cho served as South African taekwondo ambassador from 2003 to 2019. He was the national team coach for the match and taught in the Defense Forces.

An important part of the work was to introduce the sport in schools. There was a lot of poverty in the country, and sports brought hope.

In Finland, too, Cho mentions schools as channels for raising species awareness. He emphasizes guiding both competitors and enthusiasts.

“I want to help everyone. Helping is my job, ”Cho says.

Upon obtaining a residence permit, Finland may become a new homeland for Cho and his family. Commitment to work and the country also creates dreams.

“I want Finland to receive the taekwondo Olympic medal.”

WT style the taekwondo match was the official sport for the first time at the 2000 summer olympics in sydney. The advantage of the sport is to stay in the Olympics, as it guarantees notoriety.

Olympic medal statistics tell of taekwondo’s journey from national sport to world sport. South Korea has probably been the most successful country, but in Tokyo it fell off the gold standard for the first time.

Sometimes defeat speaks to success.