Studying Taekwondo in Korea!

Discussion in 'Tae Kwon Do' started by MDN, Feb 26, 2005.

  1. Kwajman

    Kwajman Penguin in paradise....

    Hey, I'd go to NK in a heartbeat if I could. I hear the people are wonderful and they don't mind americans because of the currency shortage.
     
  2. removal

    removal Valued Member

    If anyone wants further specifics, then I can also help. I'm about to finish 3 yrs in Korea.
    You need a SPECIFIC question, though!
     
  3. Ok this question is not so much "studying tae kwon do in Korea" as "a student of tae kwon do going to korea"

    In other words...
    Are there any specific places you would recommend going in korea (on top of the usual "tourist attractions") to people with an interest in TKD?
     
  4. Liam Cullen

    Liam Cullen Valued Member

    You might want to take a trip up to Kukkiwon. When I went it was just during the day and there wasn't anything on, but I still got to go into the TKD museum and walk those hallowed mats.
     
  5. Yang Dae-han

    Yang Dae-han Realising the 'edit'

    VFB,

    If you could tell me the dates of your intended stay (length and a least the month(s)) and what types of things you'd fancy then I could better construct a "tour" for you. I've done it for several foreigners and groups that went to Korea and I've found that info helpful.


    Again, to better guide you as to where to go I would like to know

    Is it just you?
    Ages of tourists?
    How many days?
    What time of year (most specific if possible)
    Monies/budget you want to stay within
    Any particular activities (SCUBA diving, for example)

    Cheers,

    DH
     
  6. neryo_tkd

    neryo_tkd Valued Member

    beside this thread, there is one sticky with the same topic: tkd in korea. what do you think: merge them and have one sticky???
     
  7. Yang Dae-han

    Yang Dae-han Realising the 'edit'

    Two steps ahead of you mate. I have written a rather lengthy and detailed "article" on what one should know. Core items of concern, issues to be raised (and answered), legal points, school/training "facts", cultural travel, THE WORKS.

    I just haven't finished some parts and do not want to leave some of the sections incomplete before posting. What I have compiled (a much more detailed helping from my perspective as well as other posters/friends/students of mine while acknowledging their input.

    My wife and I are moving back to Korea in January '07 so I want to check out some other options for players/backpackers that I haven't put much attention to before submitting this.

    Also, I will be putting it up on my site as well as submit it to other bodies.

    But, for the time being...sure, blend the two!

    CHeers,

    DH
     
  8. removal

    removal Valued Member

    Gotcha.

    It's actually a hard one to answer. If anyone has any ideas about Korea being 'exotic' then they will be quickly disappointed.

    There are not really many 'shrines' to Taekwondo. It's just too modern a sport. Even the Kukkiwon is quite a bit smaller than what many people expect, and there is actually not much to see of it. It will also be superceded by the new Taekwondo center in Muju quite soon.

    I don't know what I would recommend to a plain ole tourist in Korea, but if you have a strong interest in Taekwondo, and are coming here for a short time, then my number one recommendation is going to Sangrok Gym with Master Chang. You can lodge with him at his gym near the airport, and he will show you all around and give you a really special experience of Korea. Of course, he offers a 1 hr class in the evenings as part of your stay, but I know that you get much more beyond the Taekwondo training. He will cook for you and tell you so much about his world. He is a truly special man, and set to get a 10th Dan in TKD. He also speaks good English, which is very unusual here.

    For a short visit here, I wouldn't recommend anyone else. Master Chang comes with my 10 star approval. Don't follow anyone else who claims that they can give you a 'Taekwondo Tour' package. I've checked out all the Taekwondo experience type tours being offered in Korea, from tourist groups to individual Taekwondo masters, and they are simply not the real deal - and overpriced, too.
     
  9. removal

    removal Valued Member

    P.S. I have thought of somewhere where you have to visit if you are coming - go and sample a training session at the Korean Tigers Gym. Visiting their gym was one of the highlights for me. Their gym should be THE shrine to Taekwondo in Korea. It certainly surpasses any visit to the Kukkiwon imo.
     
  10. Ok..
    Lets say it would be for a mixed group of people; some of which would be TKD students and some not.
    In their 20's.
    2 weeks.
    Sept-Dec roughly.
    Not sure how much money would be required. Flights would play a factor here.
    Aside from sight seeing/relaxing/TKD? It would be nice to see a little of the city (Seoul?) and the countryside/coast. Scuba diving would be good, cost permitting/dive site quality taken into account. It would be nice to take a look at local religious practice/places of worship and experience local food.

    There is some great advice there. When you say there are no "shrines" to TKD due to it being young - what if we take into account the bit of history/landmarks taken mentioned in the interpretations of patterns (Ch'ang Hon patterns). These mention people and places spanning back centuries. e.g. Lui Shang prison, all the various lattitudes mentioned...

    This leads me on to the fact that (from previous posts read) much of South Korea is geared towards WTF. Would that hamper the experience of a non-WTF practitioner? (e.g. staying at the gym you mention).
     
  11. Also...
    is the fact that it is unusual for people to speak English there a problem.
    I once remember talking to someone who had been living in Japan..
    "So you managed to get around ok - with the language barrier and everything?.. I bet it was hard to even make out what the street signs said"
    "There are no street signs".
     
  12. removal

    removal Valued Member

    Yeah, I was kind of thinking that I should do the tour of the mountains which represent the WTF patterns. I've only seen Taebaek from a distance so far! Baekdu looks absolutely superb, but it's on the Chinese/North Korean border, and it costs quite a bit to get out there.

    But as for all the other 'icons' associated to Taekwondo, the links are not revered very seriously by the average Taekwondo practitioners in Korea. As with anything in Korea, depending on your previous travel experiences, you may come away saying 'Hmmm, is that it?' I'm not putting Korea down in any way. I just think that a lot of modern development has sprung up overnight rather diluting the points that tourists would be into. A lot of displays of 'culture' is deliberately organized by the tourist board here. The strength of Korea for me is the fact that there are so many martial arts gyms to be found here, and also the food which is plentiful, tasty and relatively cheap. Where else can you get set meals in a restaurant in a developed country these days for just $5? It's incredible.

    ITF has little showing here. You could try the North Korean Tour to Geumgangsan. That's about $300 dollars per person for a 2-3 day trip. I didn't go because of the ethics of indirectly funding the North Korean government's pockets through this tour.

    As for 'experiencing ITF' by going to Master Chang. He's an ex champion, and used to train the Korean military before he embarked on the Sang Rok project to teach foreigners. ITF has its roots in the Korean military, so you can consider an ITF connection there! To be honest, I'm not sure how much of a connection Master Chang has with ITF, but if you email him (his address is on the website) and ask him, he can tell you directly.

    The language barrier is a problem if you don't speak Korean. 95% of all Taekwondo instructors in Korea don't speak a word of English (discounting words like 'hi' 'crazy' 'fighting'). There are only a handful of coaches teaching foreigner training classes in the universities that can speak English. There are some people who can speak a bit of English, but it's not easy to find these people. Even in tourist offices and train stations in central Seoul, it can be hard to find people who speak English. But, if you get stuck, they have a free 24 hr translation service available by phone here. But don't worry, unlike Japan, Korea does have street names! It's much easier!
     
  13. removal

    removal Valued Member

    P.s If you come here in December, you can go skiing. You certainly can't go diving in this weather! Today I was in out at the zoo in about half a metre of snow and nearly froze to death!

    As for wanting to see local religious practices...Forget it. There are Christian/Catholic churches on every street corner here. They nearly outnumber the Taekwondo gyms! I even live on the street which has the headquarter church of the MOONIES on it. You could try a temple stay in the hills, though. Again, this is not always the 'real thing'.

    Again, Master Chang often offers lots of weekend trips. Just check out his gallery on his website.
     
  14. I've read that it's pretty difficult getting about in N.Korea. For example, don't you have to be escorted by 2 officials everywhere you go?
     
  15. removal

    removal Valued Member

    If you go on a North Korean tour, you can either go with tour groups such as Koryo Tours, or you can get in with an NGO group. (Have a look on YouTube for some North Korea videos made by such NGO groups - quite fascinating). Koryo is based in the UK and run by 2 Brits. Your tour will be carefully escorted and you will only get to see limited sites. I previously enquired with Koryo about their 'Taekwondo Tours' which they use to advertise on their site, and they said that to date they haven't ever been granted permission to watch Taekwondo class training in NK. You will also need 1000 Pounds for the entry visa, plus a round trip to Beijing, which is perhaps the biggest barrier...
     
  16. MadMonk108

    MadMonk108 JKD/Kali Instructor

    And if you're an American citizen, you can forget it.
     
  17. £1000
    Wow... not just yet then!
     

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