The Early Globalization Process of Taekwondo, from the 1950s to 1971

Abstract

The process of the globalization of taekwondo started in the aftermath of the Korean War (1950–1953), as the result of the Korean Diaspora, when a number of Korean martial arts instructors emigrated to the United States. In addition, members of the South Korean and American military were largely responsible for the early spread of taekwondo, when they founded some of the first Korean martial arts clubs in the United States and other countries. However, during the late 1950s and 1960s, the South Korean government provided limited efforts to promote taekwondo internationally, with the exception of a considerable number of taekwondo teachers dispatched to instruct South Vietnamese soldiers in hand-to-hand combat. Despite the Korean government’s limited role in its early globalization process, taekwondo’s early spread around the world had been quite successful, often as a result of the efforts of dedicated individuals. The South Korean government’s official role in promoting taekwondo internationally changed only after 1971, when taekwondo was declared the nominal ‘national sport’ of South Korea and the Park Chung Hee regime exploited taekwondo’s full potential in promoting Korea’s soft power and cultural recognition. In fact, taekwondo was South Korea’s first successful, international cultural export, long before the now popular, so-called, ‘Korean Wave’.