The Former Members of Congress (FMC) delegation (hereinafter referred to as the “Delegation“) visited Kukkiwon.

This visit which was centered around taekwondo, was part of the annual exchange program organized by the Kim Changjoon U.S.-Korea Foundation and FMC to promote civilian exchanges between the United States and South Korea.

On May 23rd (Thu), at 2 p.m., around 20 individuals including former Representative Kim Changjoon as well as five other former members of the U.S. House of Representatives and their spouses visited the Kukkiwon. After having a pleasant talk, the visitors were awarded with honorary dan certificates and they also enjoyed a demonstration performed by the Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team.

“It is our honor to personally meet distinguished guests, including Former Representative Kim Changjoon. Taekwondo is Korea’s great cultural heritage and it’s renowned worldwide for its educational values in character and etiquette development. We hope your interest and affection toward taekwondo grow through this visit” said Kukkiwon President Lee Dong-sup the talk.

President Lee Dong-sup awarded honorary 7th dan certificates and presented taekwondo uniforms and belts to former Representative Kim Changjoon and other five former U.S. Representatives.

Kim Changjoon, the first Korean-American to be elected to the U.S. Congress, was recognized for his use of experiences and networks built while serving three terms as a federal representative to contribute to Korea-US cultural exchange and development of taekwondo.

In addition to Kim Changjoon, former U.S. representatives Dan Glickman, Alan Lowenthal, John Shimkus, Andy Levin and Tom Reed were also awarded honorary dan certificates.

“It’s my pleasure to visit Kukkiwon which is the headquarters of taekwondo with my fellow former representatives. I feel the weight of responsibility that comes with receiving this honorary dan certificate and I’ll try my best to continue to promote cultural exchange between the United States and South Korea through taekwondo” commented Former Representative Kim Changjoon.

The delegation concluded their visit after watching a taekwondo demonstration prepared by the Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team to welcome the delegation.