Light of the East: The Rise of Taekwondo

On May 19, the Korean martial art “Taekwondo” was celebrated at the Claridge Theater in Brussels. It was a very successful evening, attended by around 400 spectators who gathered to watch captivating performances.

The event began with a presenter welcoming everyone and introducing Taekwondo as a Korean martial art that emphasizes self-defense. He then introduced the teams that would be performing. First up was the Dutch Taekwondo team, Tapia, who demonstrated poomsaes—stylized patterns performed against an imaginary opponent. 

Of course, a performance without K-pop is unthinkable. Chicken Squad, a Belgian K-pop dance cover group, performed covers of popular K-pop songs, including "Magnetic" by LLIT, ‘Deja Vu’ by TXT and more.

The most anticipated team of the event was the National Taekwondo Demonstration Team from South Korea, affiliated with the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA). They are one of Korea's premier Taekwondo demonstration teams. They presented 'Light of East,' a demonstration that showcases various Taekwondo techniques and is their latest work for 2024. Their incredible performance included breaking wooden boards in mid-air, executing blindfolded mise en scène with precision, and even dancing while fighting to BTS's "Idol." The entire show was amazing, with no dull moments.

The audience was super excited. Some reactions of the audience were: “Omg the national demonstration is amazing”, “Spectacular and impressive”,“ The performance was outstanding”... Hearing such reactions, we're sure it was an amazing performance without a doubt.

With all 380 tickets snapped up quickly. This high demand highlights the significant interest in Korean culture and Taekwondo. No wonder that the tickets were sold out in just two days.

A beautiful ending to the event was having the opportunity for the audience to take photos with the demo team, creating lasting memories.

In short, Taekwondo Day was a spectacular showcase of Korean martial art and Korean culture. Even for people who had no interest in Taekwondo, this was an excellent opportunity to learn about the sport. The entire show was mesmerizing, keeping the audience captivated with its continuous flow of excitement and energy.