Cultural Exchanges through the World Martial Arts Masterships among Asian Countries

Cultural Exchanges through the World Martial Arts Masterships among Asian Countries

 Keong-Sik HEO, Ph.D.

              The awareness of martial arts as traditional and folk sports is becoming heightened in many countries and ethnic groups, and they are making efforts to preserve and promote martial arts as part of the human race’s intangible heritage, as designated by the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

            Taekwondo and judo achieved successful globalization and became official Olympic events. In South Korea, recognition of the province of Chungcheongbuk-do as the hub of martial arts has been growing for the past 20 years that owns abundant resources of traditional martial arts; it hosted the world martial arts festival in 1998 and registered with UNESCO the martial art of Taekkyeon as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2011.

             The World Martial Arts Masterships have been established as a result of these efforts. They are competitions that will be held every two years in rotating locations, beginning with Korea in 2017, and subsequently hosted by other nations in a designated region with the appropriate natural and human resources, infrastructure, and facilities. The second competition will thus take place in 2019.

             The World Martial Arts Masterships will have diverse influences on martial arts exchanges among Asian countries. First, they will be in the public interest. The competition is not operated by a single martial arts group, association, or nation, but is a public business, organized and operated in an objective and transparent manner, with the aim of creating infrastructure and promoting national and regional development. Thus, the event will encourage the creation of new facilities for the event in each area that hosts the competition.

             The World Martial Arts Masterships will also promote international harmony. They will become a source of dialogue and communication between global citizens beyond the Asian people. The competition will provide an opportunity to foster unity regardless of people’s regional and political differences. The World Martial Arts Masterships will also influence historicity. They will promote understanding of the history of martial arts not only in Korea, but throughout the whole world. The World Martial Arts Masterships will appeal to a variety of people. Beyond the competitors, martial arts practitioners from both the East and West, the spectators will include ordinary people, the disabled, and military personnel.

             Through Korea’s hosting of this international-level event its martial arts will have the opportunity to establish a new tradition and identity, and the country can provide a new venue for training and the exchange of culture and information about martial arts. around the world.