In South Korea, both traditional sports and sports from other countries and cultures are played. Among the first we find the Taekwondo, the Korean martial art par excellence, whose historical origins date back to the first century BC.
This sport became famous after the end of the Japanese occupation and the Second World War. In 1961 the rules of the discipline were formalized, while in 1988 it became a real Olympic sport.
In addition to Taekwondo, however, other martial arts are also very popular in South Korea, as they represent its culture and tradition, such as Kuk Sool Won, theHapkido, The Kumdo, Han Moo Kwan, Hwa Rang Do and many others, which have spread throughout the world. Martial arts are very popular because they combine the beauty and elegance of movements with the teaching of defense and speed training, but they also stimulate virtue and generosity.
Other popular sports in Korea are baseball and the soccer; they are also practiced there basketball and the volleyball. In the archery the Koreans reign supreme at the international level with the highest number of medals won. In recent years they have also achieved good results in fencing, winning many medals in the Olympic Games and World Championships.
A much loved sport is also the golf, considered as a status symbol, is played mostly by women, the most famous golfer being Park Se-ri.
Marcella Vicario
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