Today, let me talk about the cultural aspect of Taekyun.
What would have happened if there was no one to protect the Korean culture during the Japanese colonial era.
Starting with the Protectorate Treaty in 1905,
Japan colonized Korea in 1910 after the Korea-Japan Annexation Treaty.
In 1920, Japan began forcing their culture,
trying to annihilate every Korean culture by 1930.
Under their plan to make Joseon the logistics for Japan,
numerous exploitation and terrible things were done to the people of Joseon.
It is an undeniable historical fact.
What would have happened if nobody tried to protect the Korean culture
under the Japanese cultural annihilation?
People were unable to speak or write in Korean.
But patriots like Ju Si-gyeong protect the Korean language,
and it is now one of the most splendid Korean cultural heritage,
as well as an excellent writing system in the world.
It's not only the Korean language.
Japan tried to eliminate numerous both tangible and intangible traditional culture,
but our ancestors were able to protect them with great effort.
It's the same with Taekyun.
As Taekyun is a type of martial arts and a team competition between towns,
it was regarded as a potential mean for resistance,
so it was completely banned by the law.
So according to Song Duk-ki
they trained secretly in In-wang mountains, escaping the eyes of Japan.
Our martial arts Taekyun, which people had such a hard time to protect,
is now listed as a national intangible cultural asset by SOng Duk-ki and Shin Han-seung
and the first martial arts to be designated as a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011.
I feel, there's a need to look at Taekyun from such a historical perspective.
Just because someone else's looks great, we can't just throw away ours.
Taekyun is our own Martial arts and culture.
It is a proud combat sports culture that has Korea's own way of combat.
So, we need to succeed and develop it with pride.
And not make the mistake to look at Taekyun from a modern martial arts perspective.
