TAEKWONDO WT – A TOOL OF STATE POLICY OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Authors:   Kherson Olympic Taekwondo Federation, Basylevych Sergii 
Published: June 2024

The Olympic sport of taekwondo WT is currently represented as a Korean national martial art and is widespread around the world. World Taekwondo celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023, and the modern history of taekwondo has a total of about 80 years. This paper analyses the emergence, formation, and development of taekwondo institutions, the basis for their creation, and the goals of their activities related to the political and social environment in different periods of the Republic of Korea. The study describes the creation and development of the modern Korean national combat system, followed by a study of the role of the Korean government in the purposeful use of the properties of taekwondo as a national sport, a component of Korean culture in state building – unification of the nation, strengthening of state institutions, and as a tool of national branding – presentation of a positive image of the South Korean state in the world through taekwondo. Ultimately, this strengthens the position of the ruling elite of the Republic of Korea, which is using the potential of taekwondo as a national sport in both domestic politics and international relations as a cultural resource for engagement and persuasion. The paper examines the path of taekwondo to Olympic recognition as a sport and its transformation into a powerful tool of soft power for the Republic of Korea in politics, the role of taekwondo-related institutions in international humanitarian activities, and the political goals pursued by the government of the Republic of Korea in its participation in aid programs for developing countries. The article also provides retrospective information on the emergence of the first martial arts schools, which were positioned as Korean national schools after the end of World War II and the liberation of Korea from Japanese enslavement. The first schools of the Korean martial art, which later became known as taekwondo, were created by dedicated Korean martial artists. However, the Republic of Korea, exhausted by decades of Japanese occupation and the Korean War of 1950-1953, was too unstable both socially and economically to focus on cultural issues, and in particular, sports as a component of culture. The coming to power of the military led by General Park Chung-hee in 1961 changed all walks of life in the Republic of Korea. The authoritarian regime of Park Chung-hee made sport an important factor in state policy. The government of the Republic of Korea uses sport as a political tool to promote its achievements, unite the nation, shape international perceptions of the revival, development, and positive image of South Korea, and justify the actions of several South Korean military regimes in the eyes of international society. The subject of this study is WT Taekwondo as a means of policy of the Republic of Korea. The purpose of the study is to highlight the consistent actions of the government of the Republic of Korea to transform taekwondo from a purely applied, military system of hand-to-hand combat into a vivid symbol of Korean culture, a kind of political project and an effective means of soft power in the Republic of Korea's policy. The author used the following research methods: functional analysis, synthesis, and historical method. The results of the research showed that: WT taekwondo is a unique phenomenon not only in the field of sports and culture but also in politics; Korean culture in general and the national sport of Taekwondo WT in particular, as a "soft power" in politics, contribute to strengthening the role of the Republic of Korea in the world; Taekwondo is the first successful international cultural export of South Korea; Physical culture and sports are part of national and world culture and are a means and component of politics. High-performance sports are an integral part of modern international politics. The phenomenon of WT taekwondo, considered in this paper as a policy tool of the Republic of Korea, certainly deserves further research.