Taekwondo has taken its place not only as a kind of sports in Korea but also a public sport of the world. The fact that Taekwondo has contributed to spread the name Korea as a suzerain nation of Taekwondo cannot be underestimated when considering prom...
Taekwondo has taken its place not only as a kind of sports in Korea but also a public sport of the world. The fact that Taekwondo has contributed to spread the name Korea as a suzerain nation of Taekwondo cannot be underestimated when considering promotionof the nongovernmental diplomacy through Taekwondo. At this point, many Christian missionaries play a part for missionary having their own occupation and among all, the overseas missionary work through Taekwondo is one of ways Korean missionaries are using today.
In 21 century, a 'Restricted Access Nation,' which cannot be approached by the traditional method of missionary, is increasing. According to 'Ed Dayton,'32 nations that do not allow any form of foreign missionaries or firmly restrict evangelic works within their territories are confirmed.
The necessity of specialized missionary as a tool that can overcome the cultural barrierhas been pointed out in the flow of modern Christian missionary. The population of 'creative accessible area,' which prevents the access of the traditional missionaries, was publicized as 38 billion in the 1989 the 2nd Lausanne Missionary Conference (Global Professional Institute International, 1992). These lots of population belong to different cultural areas, and the way to overcome the barrier is to satisfy cultural desire and necessityon new things. Because the way is raising a professional missionary and through this an opportunity to suggest gospel can be secured, it is considered as a missionary strategy of 21 century.
Taekwondo has attracted the interested of the world being selected as an official sport in Olympic Game. To reflect such situation, the missionary strategy through Taekwondo actually has helped in many ways. Taekwondo serves to solve the visa problem,provide a place to settle down, and allow an easy access for missionary work. However, the missionary position of Taekwondo is still weak and requires more understanding.
Nonetheless, missionary work of Korea needs a unique strategy rather than following that of western. If the weakness of Taekwondo missionary is supplementedand more active missionary culture can be formed, it will be an amazing missionary tool with an excellent strategy that is given by God for us to reach not only the Islam regions but also the creative accessibleareas as well as untouched region on the world.
Especially even in the missionary restricted regions in Islam, which are known as the missionary assignment in 21 century, Korean Taekwondo instructors are welcomed and allowed to enter their countries. The history of Taekwondo missionary initiated in 1976 in Korea can be traced in various active works of the World Sports Mission, Korea Sports Mission, World Taekwondo Mission, and International Taekwondo Mission, and so on.
The potential Taekwondo missionary has unlike other professional missionaries is its accessibility of Taekwondo trainers, whichare 4 million practitioners and 28 million black-belt holders in Korea. Moreover, other countries want Taekwondo as one of popular sports in the world and it can be utilized as a good strategic method to approach countries with different cultures that are known as the missionary assignment in 21 century.
The Taekwondo utilized Christina missionary can suggest great benefits to Korean Taekwondo circle. First, the Taekwondo utilized Christina missionary provides an opportunity for youth groups today to train Taekwondo under the name of Christian missionary. Currently, various missionary organizations in Korea, such as 'World Taekwondo Missionary,' 'Korean University Sports missionary,' 'International Taekwondo Missionary,' and 'Hallelujah Taekwondo Missionary'are training professional missionaries, and they are ready to teach Korean Taekwondo in a country with different culture and equipped with great Taekwondo skill.
Second, the field of nongovernmental diplomacy can be opened through the Taekwondo missionaries. Actually, they perform overseas Taekwondo exhibition and promotion twice or three times a year and try hard to renovate the image of Korea through Taekwondo in the countries where gospel cannot be reached and the Communist orbit.
Third, gymnasium and Taekwondo related majors can be remarkable in Korean Christianity and theological universities. As missionary through taekwondo attracts people's attention, the Taekwondo Missionary major has been created in Nazareth University, Hanil University and Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Sungkyul University, and Asia Life University until today, and the facts that about 30 regular theological universities in Korea vitalize a Taekwondo missionary club and consider to create Taekwondo related majorseem to reflect the increased interest in Taekwondo missionary nowadays. On the other hand, the reason why Taekwondo will be an important means in missionary work is that there are many human resources of Taekwondo in Korea,
The history of Taekwondo missionary initiated in 1976 in Korea can be traced in various active works of the World Sports Mission, Korea Sports Mission, World Taekwondo Mission, and International Taekwondo Mission, and so on.
The potential Taekwondo missionary has unlike other professional missionaries is its accessibility of Taekwondo trainers, which are 4 million practitioners and 28 million black-belt holders in Korea. Moreover, other countries want Taekwondo as one of popular sports in the world and it can be utilized as a good strategic method to approach countries with different cultures that are known as the missionary assignment in 21 century.
In order to effectively use Taekwondo that is given by God and maximize its use as a means for missionary, it requires quality-based Taekwondo missionaries, association of missionary organizations, and cooperation of information exchange. Most of all, by awakening the perception of Korean churches regarding the sports missionary, it has to take a role to support the Taekwondo missionary work actively making the best of this opportunity in a leading position. In other words, it requires prior preparation whether how far the work of a missionary has to be done or how much it is dangerous depending on each country's situation.
It is true that Taekwondo is getting the world attention nowadays; however, there is a reason that people do not recognized it as a great gift given by God as a missionary tool.
First, a trend to make light of physical activity based on the Hellas dualism. By the stoics and Gnosticists in dualism that despised physical body and considered it a sin during the early period of churches, physical exercise was not allowed in the medieval times. Churches also forbade sports at that time. The reason for this phenomenon is that the mean-spirit of Rome sports games, the close relationship between the Rome sports and heathenism, and physical body were considered as wicked (Dong-won Kang, 2006).
Second, Korean churches' ignorance and indifference on Taekwondo for missionary. It is hard to find a company in the Taekwondo missionary and the prayers as well as financial support from churches and believers are not sufficient. Also many theological schools do not open a sports missionary course while nurturing a professional missionary in religious music. Moreover, it is hard to find a gymnasium in a theological school whereas many other regular schools are equipped with a gymnasium for training of students' physical body.
In order to unify the youth group, the advanced countries build a gymnasium and administer various sports programs. It seems hard for Korean churches but it they can provide the Taekwondo missionary program to students utilizing a gym, the youth group will come closer to and be familiar with a church. Such change will be a solid foundation for overseas missionary work as well.
Korean churches has to open their eyes to see the sports missionary that is rising as a world-known professional missionary strategyin 21 century, the time to make an effort for the world missionary of world evangelization. This is the demand of the time and an opportunity given by God for our race. Thus, Korean churches should support to make the best use of our gift, Taekwondo.
The important thing is that many Taekwondo missionaries have been sent abroad without receiving professional missionary training. It reflects a fault of Taekwondo missionary and becomes a factor not to perform more effective missionary work.
Moreover as they accompany their occupation along with missionary work, they share the difficulties that a regular missionary feels. It has a merit as their working place can be the field of missionary work, but the overloaded work must be the obstacle for an effective missionary work. For this reason, this study suggests the importance of having a professional missionary training as a way to cultivate one's disposition as a missionary before dispatched to other countries and addresses 'a team-oriented missionary work' that cooperates with other missionaries to supplementweak points of Taekwondo missionaries. Also, it asserts the establishment of a right missionary policy based on the above efforts forming the culture of the Taekwondo missionaries.
Taekwondo must be a means to provide the contacting point of gospel. Taekwondo, the national sport of Korea, has been trained by 5,000 trainers in 157 member countries with the attention of the world. Along with the other official sports in the Olympic Games, Korean became an official language after English, French, and Japanese. Taekwondo that has affluent human resource and a breakthrough on the missionary restricted areasmust be an important missionary means not only for Muslim countries but also for the world.
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