A scene from the Foreigners’ Taekwondo Championship. (Photo courtesy of Kukkiwon)
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Hundreds of foreign residents will gather in Seoul this week for the 2025 Foreigners’ Taekwondo Championship, a cultural event celebrating Korea’s national martial art and promoting international friendship through sport.
The festival, organized by the Gangnam District Office and co-hosted by Kukkiwon and the Foreign Taekwondo Culture Association in Korea, will take place on October 25 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Kukkiwon, the world headquarters of Taekwondo. Shinhan Bank is sponsoring the event.
More than 800 participants—including U.S. military personnel stationed in Korea, international students, exchange participants, and foreign workers—will compete across five categories: sparring, forms (poomsae), speed kicking, knife-hand breaking, and high jump kicking.
Children participating in the Foreigners’ Taekwondo Festival experience neolttwigi, a traditional Korean seesaw game. (Image courtesy of Kukkiwon)
The area surrounding Kukkiwon will transform into a cultural playground featuring traditional Korean games such as tteokme pounding, neolttwigi (seesaw jumping), archery, jegichagi (hacky sack), and spinning tops.
Dignitaries expected to attend the opening ceremony include Kukkiwon President Yoon Woong-seok, Gangnam District Mayor Cho Sung-myung, Foreign Taekwondo Culture Association President Kim Moon-ok, and ambassadors from Estonia, Gabon, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Uruguay. The Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team will also perform.
The event is part of Kukkiwon’s broader effort to expand Taekwondo education among foreign residents. Currently, Taekwondo classes are being offered at 49 locations—including 26 U.S. military bases and 23 schools and community centers—across South Korea.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
