The Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI) hosted the opening ceremony of the Taekwondo Special Exhibition, ‘Taekwondo, Facing the World’ on June 2, 2025. The exhibition features the collection from the National Taekwondo Museum which showcases the remarkable evolution and globalization of competitive sport, Taekwondo highlighting its history from 1950s to present time.
The opening ceremony was honored by the presence of distinguished guests, including His Excellency Lee Seong-ho, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India. Other notable guests included Mr. Jeong Sang-ki, Director of the National Taekwondo Museum; Mr. Namdev Sampat Shirgaonkar, President of India Taekwondo; Mr. Sudhanshu Mittal, President of the Kho Kho Federation of India; Mr. M S Tyagi, General Secretary of the Kho Kho Federation of India; and Dr. Jyoti Arora, Principal of Mount Abu Public School.
The event started with the early bird registration for the Lucky Draw from 2pm IST onwards at the registration desk at KCCI. Then the opening ceremony took place from 4pm onwards where the esteemed guests lit up the lamp and inaugurated the exhibition. During the opening ceremony, H.E. Lee Seong-ho said, “This exhibition celebrates the spirit and values of Taekwondo – discipline, perseverance, and self-control. I’m especially happy to see the growing passion for Taekwondo among young people in India. What makes me even happier is that Indian athletes are already shining on the global stage. As we look ahead to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Korea is committed to supporting Indian athletes in their pursuit for training and guidance from educated Korean masters. We'll open a branch of Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters, in Delhi soon,” he added.
The ceremony also featured a harmonious performance by KCCI’s in-house Samulnori Team, Hae-O-Reum which blended Indian-Korean culture through their performance and Young Taekwondo students from India also displayed their taekwondo moves in front of the dignitaries and attendees.
Also the attendees were captivated with the Taekwondo demonstration by team TAEKWONCRE, a performance troupe hailing from Korea who made the crowd go crazy with their amazing taekwondo techniques as well as mind-blown performance on Super by SEVENTEEN. Also a lucky draw was organised for the attendees where the winners received official merchandise gifts such as BTS stickers, NCT albums and Skincare products.
This exhibition is not just about Taekwondo’s journey but it's also a celebration of bridging Korea and India. Taekwondo has become a meaningful bridge between our countries. It was an enriching experience of experiencing the history and legacy of Taekwondo through this exhibition. It has broadened my knowledge in terms of Taekwondo and its history. The exhibition will be open to the public until August 1, 2025.
It is remarkable to know that the Korean martial art, Taekwondo, has emerged as a global sport in more than 200 countries including India. India, on the contrary, has also been supporting producing taekwondo athletes across all age groups. Korean Cultural Centre India is also supporting it through various collaborations to enhance the training capacity and has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with India Taekwondo, the national sports federation responsible for governing the sport who were also officially recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs (India) in May 2025. This marks a significant milestone in the development of Taekwondo in the country.
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