7 News Belize

Taekwondo Masters in Belize
posted (February 11, 2009)

It is an Olympic sport but more than that – it is Korea’s national sport. We are talking about Taekwondo – one of the world’s most well known martial arts and tonight two Taekwondo masters are in Belize. They are here as guests of the Universal Peace Federation and we were at the city center this afternoon for their first public performance.

Keith Swift Reporting,
Master Lee Sang Keun and Grandmaster Park Joung Lyu may look like karate kids – but they are not. They are Korean Taekwondo experts.

Park Joung Lyu, Grand Master
“Taekawondo is known all over the world as an Olympic game. It is different from other techniques. So taekwondo is mental. It is about the mind; keeping the mind as sharp as a pencil.”

Ernesto Gomez, Universal Peace Federation
“Taekwando is a sport that can bring the mind and body discipline in a person’s character and is very healthy for the physical body and also it is very good for society. We see in some part that the crime has decreased and we think it is good to stop violence and get kids and also other people into something.”

This afternoon the President and his Grandmaster performed for a small group which included Mayor Zenaida Moya. They will be here for a month – during which they’ll work with youths as well as the Police and BDF.

Ernesto Gomez,
“In Korea most of the defense forces of the nation are being trained by some of these masters and it has helped not only to bring discipline among the soldiers or members of the army and defense force but also among the police and different organizations that are involved in the government and defense forces, like I said the police, the cadets and so forth.

Our hope is that through this trip we not only expose more in depth the taekwondo way of life, like I always call it, but that we can help the youths to understand that the marital arts is a sports but it is also something that can help to develop the character of the person and it brings discipline especially to the youths. So it is our desire that as we invite them here to see what’s happening, we introduce them to something that perhaps can be adapted as a program in Belize to help reduce crime and to help the society at large to become better in many aspects, especially as it concerns the youth.”

They will be in Belize for a little more than a month.

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