Instructor Jeon Min-ji in the Domestic Offocial Poomsae Senior I … Natalie Marie Emmerth in the International Individual Official Poomsae Junior II

The first domestic and international champions have come out from the 2024 Mungyeong World Taekwondo Hanmadang (hereinafter referred to as the Hanmadang).

On the first day of the 5-day Hanmadang which started on Friday, July 26th, at Seonsung Hall of the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps in Mungyeong City, Gyeongsangbuk-do, champions were crowned in the Domestic Official Poomsae Senior I (Women) division and the International Official Poomsae Junior II (Women) division.

The honor of being the first domestic champion went to Jeon Min-ji (Born in 2002, Woosuk University) in the Individual Official Poomsae Senior I (Women) division, which had 19 participants.

In the final of the Individual Official Poomsae Senior I (Women) division, Jeon competed against Choi Ji-eun (Born in 1996, Taekwondo Gosuhoe) with Taebaek Poomsae in the first round and Jitae Poomsae in the second round.

Jeon became the first domestic winner by scoring 8.449 points with powerful and precise movements, surpassing Choi who scored 8.382 points.

Jeon who previously finished second in the Team Official Poomsae Senior I division at last year’s Hanmadang held in Seongnam, holds a 4th Kukkiwon Taekwondo dan and is currently studying at Woosuk University's Department of Taekwondo.

Having started Taekwondo at the age of 8 and transitioning to a competitive athlete at the age of 11, Jeon left her hometown of Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do to attend Woosuk University under Professor Choi Dong-hoon, whom she met during her career.

To prepare for the Hanmadang, Jeon trained five hours every day under Professor Choi's guidance.

Poomsae training is tough but Jeon finds joy in executing desired moves accurately. Her next goal is to win at the National Poomsae Athlete Selection Tournament in August and to compete at the 2024 World Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong.

“I wanted to show everything I have prepared for without worrying about scores or opponents and this mindset led to good results. There were tough moments but with my professor’s help, I was able to overcome them. I want to participate in Hanmadang next year and get good results again” commented Jeon.

Internationally in the Individual Official Poomsae Junior II (Women) division, Natalie Marie Emmerth (Born in 2011) from the United States, scored 8.083 points, narrowly winning first place by a margin of 0.167 points among 20 participants.

Natalie Marie Emmerth who holds a 3rd Kukkiwon Taekwondo poom shared her feelings, “It’s my first time participating in the World Taekwondo Hanmadang and unlike other competitions, Hanmadang was really fun and it had a festive atmosphere. I am happy to have won on my first try. I will continue learning Taekwondo and share it with others.”

In the Official Poomsae division, the matchups are drawn based on a random electronic draw system and the athletes progress through a tournament until the final.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, July 27th, the second day of the Hanmadang, domestic preliminaries and finals of the Official Poomsae Junior I and II (Men) divisions, domestic preliminaries and finals of the Taekwondo Gymnastics Junior I, II, and III divisions, international preliminaries and finals of the Sidekick and Backkick Senior II and III (Men) divisions will take place. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 4 PM.