Taekwondo Peace Mission in Korea

(ATR) The martial arts of taekwondo are adding a kick to the wave of sport diplomacy around the 2018 Winter Olympics.

A group of 30 taekwondo athletes from North Korea are on a tour of South Korea this week, giving four performances with a team from the Seoul-based, Olympic-recognized federation World Taekwondo.

The teams launched the tour Saturday in Sokcho, a city on the East Sea north of the coastal cluster of Olympic venues in Gangneung.

More than 500 spectators filled the auditorium of a provincial government job training center to watch the one-hour show. About 100 media from Korea were there to document the event.

Although not officially part of the 2018 Winter Olympics, the demonstration in Sokcho drew the presence of IOC vice president Ugur Erdener, who delivered welcoming remarks on behalf of IOC President Thomas Bach.

Erdener was accompanied by a gaggle of IOC colleagues, including Ung Chang of North Korea, Aicha Gerard Ali of Djibouti, rowing fed president Jean Christophe Rolland, Ivan Dibos of Peru and Paul Erik Hoyer of Denmark. Association of Summer Olympic International Federations President Francesco Ricci Bitti and executive director Andrew Ryan also made the journey to Sokcho.

Ban Ki Moon, former U.N. Secretary General and now chair of the IOC Ethics Commission, saluted the moves towards peace brought on by the PyeongChang Olympics.

"We are now going to witness how powerful the sports can bring to promote peace and reconciliation and friendship and harmony between South and North Korea. Let us promote mutual conciliation and harmony through the power of sport," he said.

Ban mentioned he held a 12th dan belt in taekwondo. But the Korean diplomat quickly came clean, admitting his high standing in the sport is honorary.

Before heading to Sokcho, athletes from both squads were guests for lunch at Casa Italia, the hospitality center for CONI, the Italian National Olympic Committee in PyeongChang.

"I am glad, as the vision of improving relationship between two Koreas and settling peace through taekwondo came through at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics," World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue said at the lunch.

His counterpart from North Korea spoke about the emotion he felt when he saw the two Korean teams march as one during the opening ceremony Friday night.

"My eyes were filled with tears after we became one," said Yong Son Ri, the president of the International Taekwondo Federation.

The ITF, based in North Korea, and the South Korean headquartered WT both agreed in 2014 to explore opportunities for the two federations to compete jointly.

Ri said it could happen at the Summer Olympics.

"It will happen in the future. I am here to discuss that," Ri said.

The North Korean taekwondo athletes took part in the opening ceremony and will now travel to Seoul for the remaining performances of their nine-day journey south of the border.

Reported in Sokcho, South Korea by Ed Hula.