Two military members engage in a match during a taekwondo exhibition in Carey Fitness Center at Camp Casey, South Korea, on June 8, 2024 (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP CASEY, South Korea — Hundreds of U.S. and South Korean service members of all military branches turned out recently for a friendly round of taekwondo at this base 13 miles from the border with North Korea.
More than 1,000 participants showed for the South Korea-U.S. Friendship Combat Taekwondo Exhibition on Friday, including 403 South Korean service members and 400 Americans, plus other participants and guests, according to an email Tuesday from Camp Casey spokesman Sgt. Rognie Ortiz Vega.
“These events not only play a central role in expanding cultural understanding, they provide the foundation for strengthened bonds to influence generations to come,” Brig. Gen. Sean Crockett, deputy commander of 8th Army, said during the opening ceremony at the Carey Fitness Center. “These competitors today are tomorrow’s leaders.”
A taekwondo practitioner performs aerial kicks during a taekwondo exhibition in Carey Fitness Center at Camp Casey, South Korea, on June 28, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
Combat matches in the event were organized in weight classes for males from flyweight to super heavyweight, and from flyweight to welterweight for female combatants.
Other competitive events included breaking pine boards, high-jump kicking and speed kicking.
The regular exhibition, started in 2003, promotes a friendly relationship between the South Korean military and American forces through engagement in Korean traditional sports, Ortiz Vega said.
The event is organized by the World Taekwondo Headquarters, the Ministry of Culture and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and cohosted by The Foreigners Taekwondo Cultural Association and Camp Casey.
Two military members engage in a match during a taekwondo exhibition in Carey Fitness Center at Camp Casey, South Korea, on June 28, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
Brig. Gen. Sean Crockett, deputy commander of 8th Army, speaks during a taekwondo exhibition in Carey Fitness Center at Camp Casey, South Korea, on June 28, 2024. (Luis Garcia/Stars and Stripes)
Soldiers from Camp Casey, Camp Humphreys, Camp Carroll, Camp Walker, K-16 air base and Osan Air Base were invited to the exhibition, as well as soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen from the South Korean military, according to Ortiz Vega.
A taekwondo demonstration during the opening ceremony showcased martial artists performing feats such as board breaking.
“Although we may not speak the same language, we speak the language of military readiness, the language of competition and the language of camaraderie,” Crockett said.
