Kukkiwon Master Lim Yeon-cheol, Taekwondo Ambassador from the Government of Korea, Promotes Taekwondo at the Korean Cultural Center in Brazil.

Taekwondo is a traditional martial art from South Korea that uses hands and feet for both attacking and defending without weapons. It was adopted as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul and became an official sport starting with the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

In Brazil, Taekwondo has been popularized since the 1970s and currently has around 600,000 practitioners. Athletes like Natalia Falavigna won a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and Maicon Andrade won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, showcasing the high level of Brazilian Taekwondo on the world stage. Additionally, Taekwondo is recognized for its educational and cultural value in primary and secondary schools in Brazil, where many students learn Taekwondo through social projects promoted by local governments.

With the aim of expanding the presence of Taekwondo in Brazil, elevating the value of Taekwondo, and promoting Korean culture, the South Korean government and the Korean Cultural Institute sent Master Lim Yeon-cheol as a Taekwondo diplomat to the Korean Cultural Center in Brazil in April 2018.

At the Korean Cultural Center, Master Lim Yeon-cheol conducts systematic and high-level Taekwondo classes. Participating students learn about techniques, sparring, self-defense, and the spirit of Taekwondo. Through learning Taekwondo, they can not only improve their physical skills but also cultivate values such as courtesy, perseverance, integrity, self-control, and concentration. Taekwondo provides a sense of achievement and develops mental skills such as patience, concentration, decision-making, and cooperation spirit during the process of striving to acquire physical skills among young people. The intrinsic ethical values of Taekwondo encompass virtues such as courtesy, justice, and integrity, which are internalized in the process of establishing Taekwondo. Taekwondo is not only a physical self-defense skill but also promotes mutual respect, community value, and sharing, making it very beneficial for young people.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, real-time online Taekwondo classes were conducted through the Korean Cultural Center's YouTube channel to enable local Taekwondo practitioners, who faced travel and space limitations, to interact and learn from basic to advanced concepts of Taekwondo, overcoming the pandemic and bringing hope to practitioners.

In 2021, a Taekwondo exhibition was held at the Korean-Brazilian Cultural Center, providing visitors with the opportunity to learn and experience Taekwondo. It presented the history of Taekwondo, its inclusion as an Olympic sport, Brazilian Olympic Taekwondo athletes, and an interactive Taekwondo experience.

Recently, a Taekwondo demonstration group was formed at the Korean Cultural Center to promote Taekwondo as a performing art form. Taekwondo performances have been held at events such as national day receptions, Korean cultural events, and multicultural festivals in Piraquara.

In addition to the activities at the Korean Cultural Center, Master Lim Yeon-cheol has served as the coach of the Brazilian national Poomsae team of the Brazilian Taekwondo Confederation (CBTKD) since 2020, training representative athletes from Brazil for important competitions and winning two bronze medals at the Pan American Taekwondo Championships in 2022. Furthermore, he is promoting the correct teaching of Taekwondo techniques through national Taekwondo seminars for masters and practitioners.

Since 2021, Master Lim Yeon-cheol has been teaching Taekwondo to official students at the Barro Branco Military Police Academy in So Paulo, teaching correct Taekwondo techniques, spirit, and self-defense.

Since 2022, he has also been teaching Taekwondo to members of the University of So Paulo (USP), professors, and students, as well as conducting special Taekwondo lectures in public schools in So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

Currently, Master Lim Yeon-cheol is collaborating with the Korean-Brazilian Cultural Center to promote Taekwondo as a form of Korean culture, improve the image of South Korea, and expand the presence of Taekwondo throughout Brazil.

Master Lim Yeon-cheol stated that as a Taekwondo diplomat, he aims to promote cooperation and friendly exchange between the South Korean government and the Brazilian government through Taekwondo, as well as disseminate the correct techniques and values of Taekwondo to leaders and practitioners of Taekwondo in Brazil.