The ‘Kukkiwon Middle East Taekwondo Center’ has officially opened.

Kukkiwon has set a new milestone for the promotion of Taekwondo in the Middle East by opening the ‘Kukkiwon Middle East Taekwondo Center’ (hereinafter referred to as the Center) in Alasala Colleges located in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

The ideas on establishing the Center were first shared in December 2022 when Director Dong-sup Lee visited Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during the 'Riyadh WT Grand Prix Final' to discuss business matters. During this visit, President Lee met with Chairman Ammar to discuss cooperation plans to promote Taekwondo education in Middle Eastern countries.

Driven by a shared commitment to spreading Taekwondo throughout the Middle East and establishing a system for teaching it correctly, the efforts led to the meaningful result of establishing the Center.

The purpose of the Center is to expand Kukkiwon’s influence in the Middle East and to contribute to nurturing talent for future generations by realizing educational values through Taekwondo.

Moreover, in addition to spreading Taekwondo across the Middle East, it’s expected that the Center the will be able to strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation between Korea and the Middle East.

In the future, Kukkiwon plans to use the Center to provide Taekwondo education to students and instructors across the Middle East and use it as a base for examinations and various competitions.

The opening ceremony, held on November 2 (local time), was attended by about 1,500 guests, including Kukkiwon President Lee Dong-sup, South Korean Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Choi Byung-hyuk, officials from the Saudi Ministry of Education, and key figures in the Middle Eastern Taekwondo community.

President Lee Dong-sup commented, “Taekwondo is a precious cultural heritage for us, and the character and etiquette education in Taekwondo has significant educational value. Through the Center, examinations, education and competitions in Middle Eastern countries will flourish, and Saudi Arabia will become the central hub of Taekwondo in the Middle East.”

At the opening ceremony, the Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration Team performed advanced breaking techniques and poomsae with high precision, earning cheers and applause from the attendees.