To celebrate the upcoming Taekwondo Day on Sept. 4, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has prepared a series of diverse events this year, aiming at fostering a spirit of peace and harmony within the sport.

The Taekwondo-themed bash, which kicked off Aug 26, consists of various cultural events, a celebratory march as well as Taekwondo performances by both experts and ordinary practitioners. The slogan this year is “Shouting Peace in Taekwondo.”

For its first event, the “March across the Nation,” about 80 Taekwondo students started their marching journey in Muju, North Jeolla Province, on Aug. 27 to walk some 240 km to their final destination Ilsan. The march includes stop overs in Daejon and Suwon before arriving at Ilsan’s Lake Park on Saturday.

Other events include a “Peace Concert” featuring famous K-pop stars including Sohn Dam-bi and Kim Jang-hoon, as well as “Taekwondo Demonstration Festival.” Both events will be held at the Lake Park in Ilsan on Saturday. The demonstration festival is the first event in history where members of WTF, Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters), and Korea Taekwondo Association will be jointly participating.

On Sept. 4 an official ceremony will be held at the Renaissance Seoul Hotel in southern Seoul.

The WTF designated Sept. 4 as Taekwondo Day in 2006.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)