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Taekwondo and Peace

How a Killing Art Became a Soft Diplomacy Vehicle for Peace

Bibliographic Data

ID12219620
AuthorsJohn Arthur Johnson (0000-0002-8951-9612, Keimyung University, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume35
Issue15-16
Pages1637-1662
Publication date2018-11-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe International Journal of the History of Sport (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0952-3367 • E-ISSN: 1743-9035
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09523367.2019.1618838
OpenAlexW2953953630
LanguageEN
Citations received5

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 taekwondo'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

China · Democracy · Diplomacy · Elite · Grassroots · Negotiation · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Soft power · Law · Martial Arts: Techniques, Psychology, and Education

  • ITF Taekwon-Do pedagogy in North Korea

    Open Access•John Arthur Johnson, W J Cynarski et al.•Revista de Artes Marciales…•2019

  • Furthering taekwondo as an academic discipline

    Open Access•John Arthur Johnson, Udo Moenig•Revista de Artes Marciales…•2019

  • Content structure of ‘combining literary and military skills’ in Chinese martial arts

    Yuan Chengrui, Dai Guobin et al.•Sport Education and Society•2025

  • Korea’s “Pushing Hands”

    Evgenia Rozenfeld•Asian Studies Review•2021

  • Heritage for identity and as diplomacy

    Eugenia Rozenfeld, Guy Podoler•International Journal of Cultural…•2022

Unique citing works5
Citations per year0,71
Citation span2019 - 2025 (7)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 5

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