Taekwondo and peace: How a killing art became a soft diplomacy vehicle for peace

Abstract

Almost since its inception in 1955, taekwondo has been used as a form of soft diplomacy for the Republic of Korea (ROK) and then later by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Taekwondo demonstrations have been instrumental to bringing the ROK and DPRK back to the negotiating table, but how this has been possible has yet to be addressed. This research therefore addresses two questions: (1) What efforts early in taekwon-do’s history facilitated its soft diplomacy efforts today? and (2) How do taekwondo organizing bodies teach and promote soft diplomacy today? Systematic literature reviews of taekwondo moral virtues, pedagogy, history, and organizing bodies’ constitutions as well as elite interviews were conducted with those directly involved with taekwondo diplomatic efforts to determine when and how taekwondo soft diplomacy tactics were initiated. This interdisciplinary, qualitative study elucidates that early taekwondo pioneers’ efforts were focussed on soft diplomacy and how their efforts play an ongoing role in ROK and DPRK rapprochement. Furthermore, taekwondo diplomacy has occurred at the governmental, organizational, and grassroots levels, indicating it may be the only sport used at all three levels of diplomacy.