“Hana, Dul, Eoi!”—International students united through taekwondo’s spirit shout

ISC students learned taekwondo, getting to know Korea better.

International students from various countries took lessons in taekwondo, the traditional Korean martial art.

The International Summer Campus (ISC) of Korea University gave its students an opportunity to learn taekwondo at the KU Hwajeong Gymnasium on July 26.

The event was instructed by Master Ahn Byeong-chul, and the students, dressed in taekwondo uniforms, learned the martial art with excited looks on their faces. At first, they seemed to be somewhat hesitant to make the traditional shout of concentration. However, they soon started enjoying taekwondo with confidence and charged the atmosphere with their spirited shouts.

Chloe Smith, a 19-year-old American ISC student from the University of Virginia, shared her impressions, saying, “At first, it was hard for me to kick high into the air, but after some repeated practice, I was getting better in kicking, which got me interested.” Genesis Alberto, a 28-year-old Dutch ISC student from Leiden University, gave his impressions of the program, saying, “Master Ahn is truly a great instructor of taekwondo.” He added, “I’m usually not good at sports, so I was a little reluctant to take this program. But being here was a good decision for me. I want to continue to learn taekwondo when I return to my home country, the Netherlands.”

During the event, the ISC students, along with their KU buddies, learned the right postures and positions of taekwondo for various kicking motions, such as front and downward kicks. When the program was over, they received a certificate of completion from the master and flashed big smiles of achievement.

KU has organized and hosted the ISC, a six-week education program that began June 25, for university and pre-university students. This year, the program has brought together 1,800 students from 370 universities in 51 countries. KU has provided world-class lectures by inviting eminent scholars from across the world. The summer session has also offered the students an opportunity to experience college life in Korea and various aspects of Korean culture through different programs, such as taekwondo, cooking Korean food and a K-pop dance flash mob. All these programs have been well received by the students.