Korean peacekeepers offer Taekwondo training to LAF children

UNIFIL peacekeepers from the Republic of Korea organized daylong Taekwondo classes for 56 children of Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) personnel at its main base near the village of Jariudiya, south-west Lebanon, Tuesday. Korean instructors started the classes with demonstration of various martial arts skills such as kicking and wood breaking. LAF is UNIFIL’s strategic partner in furthering peace and stability in south Lebanon and Korean peacekeepers started such classes for the children of LAF personnel in 2016. Since then it has become an annual event. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art popular in the peninsula. Since the deployment of the Korean contingent to UNIFIL in 2007 it has supported LAF through various projects, including by organizing a total of 83 visits to Korea of high-ranking LAF personnel. The Korean peacekeepers also offer Taekwondo classes to local villagers and the fellow peacekeepers from other troop contributing countries. Last month, it reached the milestone of 1,000 people trained on Taekwondo. The Korean Embassy in Lebanon is holding a Taekwondo competition in Beirut on 12 May to celebrate the milestone. The Commanding Officer of the Korean Contingent Colonel Jin Chul Ho said the Taekwondo classes are playing a significant role “in building a friendly relation with the LAF.”