The Knight’s Way
Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
by Master Guy Edward Larke
This issue was supposed to be
covering how to get around
South Korea, and yes, I
will cover that very subject.
However as I am prone to
do, I am veering off topic
for an issue. From the 20th
of September to the 28th I
was the official foreign press
correspondent of the 16th
Annual General Meeting
of the World Martial Arts
Union and the 2017 Chung-ju World Martial
Arts Festival in Chung-ju, South Korea.
This festival and the organization that oversees it
started close to the same time I made this land
my home. However, as you can expect, there
are a plethora of martial arts event in the Land
of the Morning Calm and only so many days
in the week (and Korean won in the pocket),
so the majority of us have to be a bit choosey.
There are a number of factors to consider
when committing to such an event. I will
use this particular event as both an example
and as an indicator if this event is the
right choice for you and your schedule.
1) Time- This is not only the time of year
but also where it falls on the country’s
calendar (holiday time, etc.). Another
factor is exactly how long the event is. In
our example, it is usually near Chuseok (or
Korean Thanksgiving) which is in September
or October, depending on the lunar calendar.
It runs typically for six to seven days.
2) Cost- Although most events are free and
most people will tell you so, DON’T count
on it. Any event, for that matter. It may even
be in the form of a donation (in which there
will doubtlessly be an expected minimum).
For Chung-ju?... nothing. This year there was
a 10,000 Korean won (9 USD) for the RoadFC event, but that included a ticket of same
value for local products for sale at the event.
3) Facilities- Most, but not all, events are held
at school gymnasiums or sports stadiums. The
venue as well, as the age of the venue, will say
a lot about the care, the money invested and
the comfort you will experience. One way
you can look at it is how much do you want
to visit an old sports location with bathrooms
that smell ten yards away from the door?
Fortunately, with my example the World Martial
Arts Park is a recent investment by the city
government. Everything—from pathways, offices,
washrooms to the main stage-is immaculate.
Another welcome addition is a very wide
selection of food vendors for you to choose from.
4) Location- Location is important not only as
regards the weather and the aesthetics of the
location but also how difficult it is to get there.
In this case, the town is small and set aside from
the busier cities. It does take longer to get to,
but you can get a city-to-city bus (recomended),
a train (NOT the KTX bullet train), or go by
car. Once you arrive, there are literally posters
everywhere. Even taxi drivers with no English
know where to take you. One important
thing of note: this in Chung-ju (Choong-joo),
NOT Cheong-ju (Jung-joo). Be very cautious
of that. It’s more confusing because the other
city has a major martial arts event as well.
5) Language barrier- Obviously, expecting
the area to be filled with bilingual citizens
is ridiculous. However, at the venue there28 January 2018 / taekwondotimes.com