S. Korea’s Kukkiwon team, Syrian refugee youth demonstrate taekwondo moves at Amman event

AMMAN — Under the patronage of the South Korean embassy in Amman, the Jordan Taekwondo Federation on Saturday held a taekwondo performance by the Kukkiwon Demonstration Team from South Korea at Princess Sumaya Hall, Sport City.

The event witnessed the participation of about 1,500 people, including Syrian refugee athletes and their families, according to an embassy statement.

Around 100 young Jordanians participated in the Korean Ambassador’s Taekwondo Championship for the 12-14 age group.

The Syrian refugee team, consisting of 25 Syrian taekwondo athletes from both Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps, gave a special performance at the event.

Asif Sabah, the coach of the refugee demonstration team, said that taekwondo is part of his life and he is delighted to train many Syrian refugees and help them reach a high level of achievement. 

Duaa Al Ayoub, the youngest member of the team, expressed her excitement to participate in this event, which gave her a sense of hope for the future. 

South Korea’s Ambassador to Jordan Kim Dong-gi said that the taekwondo demonstration brought everybody in the sports hall together to form “a community of taekwondo beyond borders”. 

He noted that the Syrian refugee team’s demonstration offers a message of “indomitable spirit and hope through taekwondo”.

The Kukkiwon team also performed at Oval Plaza in Jerash on Friday. 

Since taekwondo was introduced to Jordan in the early 1970s, the number of practitioners in the country has reached over one million, and now the number of taekwondo centres has amounted to more than 150, the statement said.