Date: Mon, 19 May 2008 02:48:21 +0200 From: the_dojang-request@martialartsresource.net Subject: The_Dojang digest, Vol 15 #133 - 6 msgs X-Mailer: Mailman v2.0.13.cisto1 MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Errors-To: the_dojang-admin@martialartsresource.net X-BeenThere: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.13.cisto1 Precedence: bulk Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net X-Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net List-Unsubscribe: , List-Id: The Internet's premier discussion forum on Korean Martial Arts. 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Copyright 1994-2008: Ray Terry and Martial Arts Resource The Internet's premier discussion forum devoted to Korean Martial Arts. 2,300 members. See the Korean Martial Arts (KMA) FAQ and the online search engine for back issues of The_Dojang at http://MartialArtsResource.com Pil Seung! Today's Topics: 1. looking forTKD school near George Brown Univeristy in Arkansas (tkdjudy@tx.rr.com) 2. Agreement on Taekwondo Poomsae (The_Dojang) 3. 7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Chip (The_Dojang) 4. Space running out (Martial Arts Seminars) 5. International Taekwondo Festival (Ray) 6. Road Trip in a Strange Land (Ray) --__--__-- Message: 1 Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 14:59:41 -0400 From: To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] looking forTKD school near George Brown Univeristy in Arkansas Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net All We have a student moving to Arkansas to attend George Brown University and are looking for a school/class for him to join. We do American Tae Kwon Do, (changhon patterns). Our student is a 2nd gup. He is just looking to keep going in a class, not necessarily the same style. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance Judy B. 1st Dan Nam Seo Kwan American Tae Kwon Do --__--__-- Message: 2 Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 08:52:29 -0700 From: The_Dojang To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] Agreement on Taekwondo Poomsae Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net WTF Signs Agreement on Taekwondo Poomsae with Belgrade 2009 Universiade OC 17 May The World Taekwondo Federation signed a memorandum of agreement with the Belgrade 2009 Universiade Organizing Committee to include taekwondo poomsae in the official program of the 2009 Summer Universiade in a ceremony in Belgrade, Serbia on May 13, 2008. The MOA was inked between WTF Secretary General Jin Suk Yang and Dr. Sinisa Jasnic, vice president of the Organizing Committee of the 2009 Belgrade Universiade, in a ceremony at the Continental Hotel Beograd. With the signing, the taekwondo poomsae competition will be on the official program of the 2009 Belgrade Universiade, along with the taekwondo kyorugi competition. "The signing has further heightened taekwondo poomsae's international status at the Summer Universiade, and taekwondo has high chance of being adopted as a compulsory sport at the Summer Universiades," said WTF Secretary General Yang. Yang said, "I strongly believe that taekwondo poomsae, which is as important as taekwondo kyorugi, will be greatly promoted on the occasion of taekwondo poomsae's inclusion in the 2009 Universiade as an official program, together with taekwondo kyorugi." Since the 2003 Summer Universiade in Daegu, Korea, taekwondo (kyorugi) has been adopted as an optional sport at Summer Universiades, including the 2005 Izmir, Turkey Universiade, and the 2007 Bangkok Universiade. The 25th Summer Universiade is scheduled for July 1-12, 2009, in Belgrade, and the taekwondo kyorugi competition is set for July 1-5. WTF Secretary General Yang and Dr. Jasnic met at the headquarters of the WTF in Seoul, Korea on February 24, 2008, in which they agreed to sign an official contract on taekwondo poomsae's inclusion in a ceremony in May in Belgrade. "Given taekwondo's high popularity," Dr. Jasnic, who also serves as general director of the Universiade Belgrade 2009, said, "taekwondo will be a compulsory sport of the Universiade in the near future." Dr. Jasnic said, "Compared with the taekwondo competition at the 2003 Daegu Universiade, taekwondo has greatly developed, and in the near future taekwondo will be the leading sport to the student population." "Taekwondo is one of the most successful sports at the Universiades and we have seen a continued increase in taekwondo activities, especially at the 2007 Bankok Universiade, he said, "It is a fact that taekwondo is becoming a very, very popular among student population." Besides the 2009 Universiade, Belgrade is to host the 10th World University Taekwondo Championships on July 16-20 this year. --__--__-- Message: 3 Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 08:54:37 -0700 From: The_Dojang To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] 7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Chip Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net 7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships Wrap Up in Success in Izmir, Turkey 17 May The 7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships concluded its five-day event in Izmir, Turkey on May 11, 2008, in a great success for good reasons. The biennial event, which took place at the Halkapinar Sport Hall in downtown Izmir, attracted more than 1,000 athletes and officials from a record 80 countries. The previous World Junior Taekwondo Championships were held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2006 to draw athletes from 77 countries. The next World Junior Taekwondo Championships are scheduled to take place in Mexico in 2010, which will serve as the qualification tournament for the taekwondo competition at the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games, which is promoted by the International Olympic Committee. With 80 medals up for grabs in 10 weight divisions each for the men and women division, 19 countries won at least one medal in the men's category, and 21 countries earned at least one medal in the women's division, reflecting the universality of the sport of taekwondo. Korea confirmed its supremacy in taekwondo as it clinched both of the men's and women's team titles. In the men's team ranking by points, Korea topped other countries with 101 points, followed by Iran with 56 points and Turkey with 43 points. Russia and China came next with 38 points and 36 points, respectively. Team ranking is decided by the accumulated points based on the following guidelines: basic one point per each contestant who entered the competition area, one point per each victory, and an additional seven points per one gold medal, an additional three points per one silver and an additional one point per one bronze medal. In the women's team ranking by points, Korea ranked first with 75 points, followed by Turkey with 49 points, the United States with 45 points. Chinese Taipei and France came next with 40 points and 39 points, respectively. In the overall medal tally, Korean male contestants ranked first with six gold medals, one silver and one bronze, followed by Iran with two golds and one silver. Jordan ranked third with one gold and one bronze. Great Britain came next with one gold, while Thailand won two silvers and one bronze to rank fifth in the medal tally. In the overall medal tally for the women's division, Korea grabbed three golds, one silver and three bronzes for the first place, while the United States and Turkey followed with one gold, one silver and one bronze each. Chinese Taipei and France came next with one gold and one bronze. During the closing ceremony of the 7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships on May 11, five international referees were given the Best Referee Awards. The awardees were Mr. Jeseph Elias Khoury of Great Britain, Mr. Denis Odjo of France, Mr. John Lee Holloway of the United States, Mr. Ahmed Hassan El Mofty of Egypt, and Mr. Rene Raymond Leveaux of Australia. The Good Fighting Spirit Prizes went to Moldova, Puerto Rico and Senegal, while the Active Participation Prizes were given to Lebanon, Serbia and Congo. Iran's Bekzad Eilkhani, the gold medalist in the men's -73kg category at the Izmir World Junior Championships, was chosen as the Best Male Athlete (Samsung Blue Passion Award); while Turkey's Hulya Kaya, the silver medalist in the women's -49kg division, was named the Best Female Athlete of the championships. --__--__-- Message: 4 Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 08:57:05 -0700 From: "Martial Arts Seminars" To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Subject: [The_Dojang] Space running out Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Space is Running Out for 2008 USAT Athlete Development Camp! As of May 16, only 10 spots remain for the 2008 Athlete Development Camp being held June 4-8 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. For more information and to register for the camp, please see http://www.usa-taekwondo.us/ApplicationPacketDraft1_2_.pdf "The Athlete Development Camp was a very challenging, but fun experience where I learned a lot," stated Charlotte Craig, a 2008 Olympian and a past participant of the USAT Athlete Development Camp. At the camp, Craig worked with the same coaches who are now working with her on the U.S. National Teams as well as the 2008 Olympic Team. --__--__-- Message: 5 From: Ray To: The_Dojang Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 11:00:12 -0700 Subject: [The_Dojang] International Taekwondo Festival Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net International Taekwondo Festival May 24-25 Memorial Day weekend 16200 Temple Ave City of Industry, California 91744 Sponsored by the WTF, Korean Cultural Center, Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism http://web.mac.com/shmilyhon/Site/Welcome.html mailto:yictkd@gmail.com http://www.yictkd.com 909.468.1350 FAX: 909.468.1351 --__--__-- Message: 6 From: Ray To: The_Dojang Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 12:27:50 -0700 Subject: [The_Dojang] Road Trip in a Strange Land Reply-To: the_dojang@martialartsresource.net Road Trip in a Strange Land Tourists Now Can Drive To a North Korean Resort -- But No Photos on the Way By SUNGHA PARK May 17 It takes just a few minutes to cross the world's most fortified border, the mile-wide demilitarized zone separating South and North Korea. The countryside is lush and green; there are no signs saying "Welcome" or "Come Back Soon." Early last month, I drove with an American colleague, Julie Yang, to a rest stop near the border, about 4 1/2 hours northeast of Seoul. We had an 11:30 a.m rendezvous with 37 South Koreans, who, like me, were excited to be driving cars across the border into North Korea -- something tourists haven't been able to do for more than 50 years. Our destination: a scenic vacation resort on the east side of the Korean peninsula, at the foot of Mount Kumgang. The border opens briefly just a few times a day, and no more than 20 tourist cars a day can enter. Motoring tourists must travel in a convoy; ours was nine cars long. An employee of Hyundai Asan Corp., the tour company organizing our trip, made sure each car had enough gas, since we wouldn't find any service stations for tourists along the way. Guides collected our cellphones, navigation systems, voice recorders, newspapers, books and national flags -- anything that might inadvertently expose North Koreans to the outside world. Shooting photographs and video would be prohibited within the DMZ and on the other side, on the road to the resort. Each visitor received a photo ID card listing his or her name, sex, birth date, occupation, address and dates of visit. The guides placed an orange flag atop each car and passed out walkie-talkies, so we would be able to hear the guide, riding as a passenger in the first car of the convoy, give instructions if necessary to speed up or slow down. Once we'd passed through the DMZ, it was like going from color TV to black and white. The hills were bare and gray. Every few hundred meters along the road, we saw North Korean soldiers standing at attention. There were short beige houses, skinny goats and an ox-drawn cart. Crops grew right up to the edge of the road. We'd spent two hours preparing for this road trip. So it was a surprise when, after passing through North Korea immigration, we drove for 15 minutes and arrived at the resort. The road trip was over. Mount Kumgang, considered the most beautiful peak on the Korean peninsula, is a popular vacation retreat for South Koreans. Hyundai Asan has operated the resort since 1998. It is one of the few places in North Korea, outside the capital, Pyongyang, where foreign visitors are allowed. The government of Kim Jong Il -- and of his father, Kim Il Sung, before him -- has kept North Korea cut off from most contact with the West since the late 1940s. Although tourists are permitted in for commemorations and other occasions, Americans generally haven't been welcome. In March, the North Korean government opened the door to tourism slightly wider and began allowing tourists to drive their own cars across the border. The resort is a 4,900-acre compound surrounded by a lime-green fence. There are four large hotels and six scenic hiking trails; a golf course opened on Wednesday, and there are plans to open a family reunion center later this year. Visitors aren't permitted outside the fence, and we had to surrender our car keys upon arrival. Once inside, we were free to move around the hiking courses and between hotels, which are set about five to 25 minutes apart by shuttle bus. The only North Koreans we encountered at the resort were workers. Just outside the resort is a village, Onjeong-ri. Hyundai Asan has paved its roads and helped provide coal briquettes for heating fuel, instead of wood. Tourists can't go in or take pictures: Glimpses through bus windows are the closest most resort guests get to seeing what daily life might be like in North Korea. We saw one three-story apartment building among the single-story homes. Most villagers were on foot; a few rode bicycles with red license plates on the front baskets. A guide said the North Korean government gave the bikes to "good" workers. Growing up in Seoul in the 1980s and '90s, I was taught that North Korea is always ready to attack. When I was 5 years old, I remember an afternoon when a loud siren went off. A voice on the radio said unidentified planes were flying above and could be from North Korea. I knelt down and prayed that we wouldn't go to war. I was relieved that it was a false alarm. "It's still unbelievable that I'm here," said Lee Chang-woo, a 55-year-old tourist, who drove from Incheon, South Korea. "When I was a middle-school kid, I thought that a war could occur any time soon." The Oekumgang Hotel, where we stayed, was built in 1984 to honor Kim Jong Suk, Kim Jong Il's mother, and for many years accommodated students and other visitors to Mount Kumgang. It also was a reunion site for families separated between North and South, who were reunited at government-approved meetings in 2007. The 12-story hotel, remodeled in 2006, is comfortable but offers few frills. There are no tennis courts or swimming pools. A spa building in the compound features public and private hot springs, an exhibition hall for North Korean paintings and a massage room. Hotel room-service offers massages, too, but no food. There are evening performances by Filipino singers at a café lounge; a hotel's "sky lounge" offers views of the surrounding peaks and the village. The view disappears around midnight, when few streetlights are lit. The big draw at Mount Kumgang is hiking. Trails range from a path by a lake to a steep course rising more than 3,000 feet above sea level over a series of rock peaks. One of the most beautiful trails is Manmulsang, which means "10,000 images" -- a reference to promontories resembling a bear, a human face, a hand pointing to the sky. Another trail leads to a long, narrow waterfall called Kuryong, or "nine dragons" -- which, according to legend, lived at the bottom. A vantage point nearby offers a view of eight jade-green ponds, the legend says, where eight nymphs came to take a bath. Photography is a sensitive issue. North Korea prohibits zoom camera lenses 160 millimeters or longer and zoom video lenses 24X or longer. (My camera bag was the only one of mine that North Korean customs officials bothered to open, and they checked the lenses thoroughly.) One day, I saw a remarkable mosaic, a portrait of Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung composed of 250,000 tiny colored stones. Just as I snapped a photo, a whistle blew. Two hotel employees came over and asked for my camera. Later, a Hyundai Asan staffer explained my potential offense: Chopping off the leaders' heads. Fortunately, I had captured the whole mosaic and was allowed to keep the shot. Many North Koreans seemed eager to strike up an acquaintance. A young guide on a hiking trail was curious when he learned I'd driven to the resort. "It only takes six hours to drive to Pyongyang from here," he said, revealing he had grown up and trained as a gymnast there. Another guide told me he was 28, lived with his parents and a sister and liked to read books. Several times he asked, "When will you come back?" There was a difficult moment, when a guide began complaining that the U.S. wasn't keeping its promises in denuclearization talks and criticizing South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. We'd been told to avoid discussing politics or the economy with North Koreans. "Who do you think will win -- Obama or Hillary?" she asked. Lee Kyong-ae, a 78-year-old South Korean returning to Mount Kumgang after a visit in 2000, said she was struck by how friendly everyone was. On her first visit, she recalled, "we couldn't really talk to North Koreans. There were psychological barriers between the two sides. I felt danger in their eyes." When it was time to leave, the drive back through the DMZ wasn't so intimidating. We rolled down the window and fiddled with the radio, settling on a North Korean station pumping out a song that went, "Oh General! Oh Leader!" Soon the colors returned and, as we left the DMZ --__--__-- _______________________________________________ The_Dojang mailing list The_Dojang@martialartsresource.net http://martialartsresource.net/mailman/listinfo/the_dojang Subscribe or Unsubscribe: http://the-dojang.net Old digest issues @ ftp://ftp.martialartsresource.com/pub/the_dojang Copyright 1994-2008: Ray Terry and http://MartialArtsResource.com Standard disclaimers apply. Remember September 11. End of The_Dojang Digest