The '2021 New York Open Taekwondo' competition sponsored by the Korean Cultural Center in New York and the Korea Tourism Organization will be held on the 9th of next month at the Peter J. Sharp Gymnasium at Mount St. Vincent University.

At the New York Open Taekwondo competition, which is attended by 3,000 people every year, more than 95% of the participants are from other ethnic groups. In addition to Taekwondo competitions, cultural events such as large-scale bibimbap demonstrations, Korean food tastings, and Korean cultural performances will be held at this event.

Park Yeon-hwan, president of the New York Open Taekwondo Tournament, said, “The New York Open Taekwondo is a competition that holds Korean culture and food events and promotes Korean tourism.” , “We hosted the event during the COVID-19 pandemic to give vitality to Korean Americans through this competition,” he said.

Moon Yong-chul, chairman of the sponsorship committee of the New York Open Taekwondo Competition, said, "The existence of a country called Korea has become known through Taekwondo," adding, "I want to show the fact that we are one through the Taekwondo festival in a sluggish Korean society."

Ha Se-jong, an advisor for the New York Open Taekwondo competition, said, “There are over 10 million Taekwondo practitioners in the world, and 98-99% of U.S. Taekwondo students are American.”, “The New York Open Taekwondo competition is held every year because thousands of foreigners participate and the publicity about Korea is very powerful,” he said.

Meanwhile, this event is sponsored by aT Center, Korean Cultural Center New York, Korea Tourism Organization, Korean Food Globalization Promotion Committee, Flushing Bank, Long Island Korean Association, New York Spa, etc.

Reporter Cha Seung-min smcha@nvp.co.kr