Number of Indian students opting for Taekwondo, Korean language doubles this year
Hallyu Wave: This year, 3536 students in 47 schools enrolled for Taekwondo training as against 1,530 students in 31 schools last year. Likewise, 1,535 students enrolled for Korean language classes in 20 schools last year, and this year the number went up to 2,572 students in 32 schools.
NEW DELHI (INDIA): As awareness of the Korean culture continues to spread at a fast pace, the demand for Korean martial art as well language carries on to witness upswing trend amongst the Indian students, and more schools opt to teach Taekwondo and Korean language this year.
The year 2024 is a “Year of Cooperation” for the progress of Taekwondo in India and capacity building training programmes will be organised for Taekwondo instructors across the country
Continuing its relentless hard efforts in promoting Korean art and culture in India, the Korean Cultural Centre India (KCCI) has distributed 2,000 newly designed Korean language textbooks developed by National Institute of Korean Language to students at 32 local secondary schools.
The KCCI has announced that it will further provide its support to schools in India to ensure that more students in the country can learn Taekwondo and enroll in Korean language classes. Since its inception, Korean Cultural Centre India has constantly endeavoured to expand the scope of cultural exchanges between Korea and India. For this purpose, since 2013, it has been organising regular Taekwondo classes and Korean language classes at secondary schools in India.
According to KCCI as compared to last year, the number of students who have enrolled for Taekwondo classes has more than doubled. In 2023, there were 1,530 students enrolled in 31 schools, but this year there are 3,536 students enrolled in 47 local schools. Similarly, there has been a significant increase in the number of students enrolled in Korean language classes from 1,535 in 20 schools last year to 2,572 students in 32 schools this year.
The students enrolled in the Korean language classes received a major fillip earlier this week, as the Korean Cultural Centre India distributed 2,000 newly designed Korean language textbooks. These books have been developed by the National Institute of Korean Language and they were distributed to students at 32 local secondary schools on April 9th.
A local researcher in the region has participated as a co-author, and the main cover of the textbook was selected based on a survey of 1,500 Indian students. Notably, the textbook features illustrations showcasing Indian elements such as ‘Naan’, ‘Samosa’, and ‘Mojari’.
The year 2024, which is being celebrated as a “Year of Cooperation” in the field of Taekwondo in India will see a wide range of competitions and promotional activities being organised in city schools in Delhi in partnership with Delhi Taekwondo Association. These activities will further enhance the skillset and the confidence of the students engaged in the sport and will inspire them to represent India in the sport in the future.
Additionally, this year, the Korean Cultural Centre India will work with local Taekwondo associations in major cities such as Mumbai and Pune to impart skill improvement training sessions for local instructors. This will further enable more schools in the country to introduce Taekwondo to their students in the future.
Hwang Il Yong, Director of Korean Cultural Centre India said, “We will continue to strive for the steady growth of cultural exchanges between Korea and India.”
“I hope that the Taekwondo and Korean language classes in Indian schools will further expand opportunities for students to experience Korean culture and that it will become a starting point for achieving their dreams. I also hope that the new textbooks will be of great help in the journey to achieve that dream,” Mr Hwang added.
