Introduction of Kyulyun Taekyun

『Kyulyun Taekyun』is defined by the dictionary as

'a type of Taekyun in which each side teams up and contend for victory(Seyoung Moon, Joseon Language Dictionary, 1938)', 'a type of Taekyun in which a number of people team up (Donga Korean Dictionary, 1971)'.

『Kyulyun Taekyun』is a competition that several people (normally around 5 to 15) team up and fight for their town's honor under the rule that the winner stays to fight the next player. It is not clearly known since when『Kyulyun Taekyun』has started, but according to the late Grand Master Song Duk-ki, it prospered from a long time ago to the end of Joseon Dynasty and he himself participated in 『Kyulyun Taekyun』several times for his town's honor. 『Kyulyun Taekyun』was a folk game of the old Seoul(inside of the 4 great gates) and the nearby area that largely developed at the center of Seoul calling Sagik-gol, 'Bonteo Badak'.

After Japan's forced occupation of Korea, Japan forbade Taekyun by law under the policy to obliterate the Korean nation, arrested not only those who played the team gaem『Kyulyun Taekyun』 but those who practiced Taekyun individually. So unfortunately 『Kyulyun Taekyun』disappeared from this soil. Taekyun was designated as an important intangible cultural asset on June 1st of 1983 and has been receiving supports from the nation, which is very encouraging. It was, however, only the techniques that were designated and the situation and the atmosphere that our ancestors gathered together and enjoyed by battling their power are all excluded. Thus, the designation is not fully passing down the entire culture.

『Kyulyun Taekyun』needs to be protected and reproduced as it not only depicts the team event of Taekyun but also greatly shows the intense and poetical nature of our people. There's one important thing to remember. Unquestioning the introduction of the Western sports system under the name of modernization of 『Kyulyun Taekyun』should be restricted. Result centered elite Western sports system divides the players and the audience, but in our sports system, the players and the audience are mixed together creating a scene where there's an order in chaos and enjoy the game as an event that surpasses the victory, getting united as a whole.