Jordan, S. Korea celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties through taekwondo

AMMAN — The South Korean embassy in Jordan organised a taekwondo event at the Cultural Palace in Amman on Tuesday, celebrating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Jordan and South Korea.

During the opening ceremony, South Korea’s Ambassador to Jordan Lee Jae-wan said that the countries have developed cooperation covering a whole range of fields since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1962. 

“I hope that Korea and Jordan continue to have a more comprehensive and stronger friendship,” he added. 

Deputising for HRH Prince Rashid Bin El Hassan, Vice President of the Jordan Taekwondo Federation (JTF) Deeb Kurdi thanked the Korean ambassador for his “unending support” and welcoming the Jordanian Taekwondo and the JTF into the Korean family.  

He also overviewed Jordanian achievements in the world of taekwondo, noting that Ahmad Abughaush won the gold medal in Taekwondo at the 2016 Rio Olympics, marking Jordan's first Olympic medal ever, while Saleh Al Sharabaty won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Korean Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Lee Sang-hwa described taekwondo as a “catalyst” that has brought Jordan and Korea closer together. 

“I believe that the two countries can get over the COVID-19 pandemic and imagine a brighter future in the next 60 years of our relations through the qualified human resources and the unyielding resolve that are commonalities of Korea and Jordan,” he said in his congratulatory speech. 

Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Wajih Owais said that this event emphasises the continuity of the cooperation between the two “friendly” countries.

He also spoke of “the effective role of sports in eliminating unwanted behaviours and enhancing the culture of dialogue”, adding that the ministry of education works on cooperating with international institutions to facilitate and encourage engaging in various sports. 

“The best example of this is the continuous and mutual cooperation between the Ministry of Education and the Korean embassy,” Owais said, noting their efforts in organising an initiative that engaged 100 Jordanian students in taekwondo training courses implemented by the international centre for sports, martial arts and self-defence in Korea in 2018. 

The event included a documentary produced by the embassy on the Jordan-Korea cooperation in the field of taekwondo as well as taekwondo performances by the Korean team “K-Tigers” and the JTF’s team, marked by special kicks and breaking wooden boards.

The “K-Tigers” also invited members of the audience for a friendly board-breaking competition and performed a number of group dances accompanied by K-pop music. 

The event was attended by diplomatic corps, Jordanians and Koreans who cheered for the performances of both teams. 

First secretary of the South Korean embassy Jiyoung Kim noted the embassy’s focus on organising various cultural events to enhance and strengthen the cooperation between South Korea and Jordan. 

“In the second half of 2022, the embassy will hold a joint seminar on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, investigating future fields of cooperation between the two countries,” Kim told The Jordan Times.