Sports in Seoul

Taekwondo

Not really many people of this but actually, Taekwondo is originated from South Korea and it is the national sport. It is identified as the technique of kicking and punching since the word “Tae” suggest to hit or break with foot and “Kwon” stands for to punch or break with fist. Taekwondo was adapted from Tokkeyon, an ancient martial art. During the early days, Tokkeyon is practiced by the men for their combat skills. It was until the year 1952, when it is changed and decided that the Korean army should learn martial art. Thus, the president at that time changed the term from Tokkeyon to Taekwondo. It is included in the Olympic Games and is exercise by millions of people worldwide.

Korean Wrestling

Ssireum or sirum (Korean wrestling) is also a traditional national sport of South Korea. Wrestling is practiced for the purpose of self defence during the early days and because of that there is an increase in number of techniques been created. It is quite alike towards the Japanese sumo wrestling took place in a sandy ring and two big sized people will fight within the ring. The rule is that the first to land outside of the ring lose.

Kiteflying

Kite flying is played usually during the Chuseok, “harvest moon”, and the Lunar New Year. By using traditional Korean paper and bamboo sticks, one is able to assemble kites for kite flying. The purpose of flying a kite during the first 10 days of January, after Lunar New Year, is to stop thinking about all the bad luck for the past year. There are different types of kites available and there is even an exhibition to showcase the different kinds of kites that are designed from traditional to modern patterns or both.

Bullfighting

Bullfighting in South Korea is different from those in countries like Spain. In South Korea, bullfighting is a horn-to-horn fight between two bulls while in Spain bullfighting consists of matadors against a bull. This 1000 year old tradition is considered as a popular sport in South Korea and the game is not about strength and aggression. The bulls are trained by professionals and during the game they are awarded with points, which is very alike to how martial arts competitions work. It started out in some rural farms and was later famous and demanded by many and thus moved to bug arenas where up to hundreds of thousands are able to watch a game. One of the venues where bullfighting is still ongoing is at Cheongdo Bullfighting Ring. There are also local contest and global tournament of bullfighting from Japan, USA and Australia. People can also bet on which bull will win the game. Even though bullfighting is still allowed and not banned in South Korea but it still have not spread to urban cities area.