There Was A Kukkiwon Dobok Fashion Show

There Was A Kukkiwon Dobok Fashion Show

        So there was a Kukkiwon fashion show a few weeks ago in Korea. Just as you thought the kpop attitude of Korea can’t get any more apparent they thought it was an important and good idea to host a fashion show.

On Instagram:
Kukkiwon Fashion Show

kukkiwon_kr

New definition of Taekwondo uniform!
Kukkiwon Taekwondo clothes design fashion show
태권도 도복의 새로운 정의를 내리다!
국기원 태권도 도복 디자인 보고회!🥋 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Last Thursday, November 29, Kukkiwon held a ‘Kukkiwon Taekwondo Apparel Design Conference’ to improve the problems of existing Taekwondo uniforms and to present clear standards for the production of uniforms. Let’s look at the picture of the scene
지난 11월 29일(목) 국기원에서 기존의 태권도 도복의 문제점을 개선하고 도복 제작의 명확한 기준을 제시하기 위한 ‘국기원 태권도 도복 디자인 보고회’가 진행 되었는데요. 그 현장을 사진으로 살펴볼까요?😍 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 국기원 공식 블로그에서도 확인 가능합니다👀
▶️https://blog.naver.com/kukkiwonblog/221410589122

Their reason for the fashion show they claim was to “improve the problems of existing Taekwondo uniforms.” Well they did not mention much in English about this and that is the problem with the Kukkiwon. Practically everything they announce is in Korean or very bad English that often does not make much sense. So most foreigners have no clue what they are doing. There is a lack of transparency going on with the Kukkiwon and it is annoying to a lot of people. What are the things they vote on? What reasons do they have for doing things and even existing?

Last I checked the major concern for Taekwondoin worldwide was not fashionable doboks. Yes, there often are problems with doboks. Often the sizing and not adjusting for different nations with larger or smaller people. Putting out one group of sizes everyone has to get and then pay extra money to have a seamstress hem the pants and arms of the jacket top.  Another problem is all they care about are WTF approved doboks. Why should we only have WTF approved doboks and not simply Kukkiwon approved doboks? More than half of Taekwondoin do not even participate in the WTF. Oh well I should be calling it WT since they changed their name. But I like the oldschool so I will always call them WTF.

You see they only make doboks made for tournament competition and extra thin material that does not last long with aggressive martial arts training. They make light and thin material for releasing heat so competitors won’t be as hot in the event they participate in and they can move faster. But this does not allow for proper martial arts training in general. There are more things to Taekwondo than Olympic rules competition and poomsae. The main purpose is for actual martial arts and combat. In Karate they have a heavy weight gi that one can grab that will not rip. So many times a Taekwondoin has practiced hoshinsool only to rip his new expensive over $100 dobok at the collar because the stitching is weak and material thin. They need to make a heavy weight basic student dobok that allows for grabbing for self defense practice. A sturdy uniform that will not rip. No it does not have to be an extra thick Judo gi. Just make the material like the heavy weight Karate style but make it Taekwondo. If you insist on a hanbok style, v-neck collar then please make the stitching unrippable!

But no, it seems they insisted on fashionable and trendy looking doboks that will cost a ton of money with extra colors. We only need white! Tradition!!! Why do we need yellow pants? They also showed the referee, coaches, and more uniforms. Just stuff the normal Taekwondo student does not care about. Why not just admit you should have stuck with a Karate style dobok with open robe? The y-neck uniforms are interesting, but you made them all fancy and thin material and only for performance of poomsae. Why? We need a tough and durable dobok. I am also sick of doboks with a low crotch that restricts legs from kicking high unless the student pulls up his pants legs and hikes them up to do high kicks.

So the “problems” they addressed with the dobok apparently had to do with aesthetics and not practical use. I find this disappointing.

Every time I read about the Kukkiwon all I see are business meetings, pop music, dancing, expensive dinners, guys in suits, giving out random certificates, watches, and gold cuff links, and a bunch of politicians and business people. Where is the training? Where is the talk of combat training? Where is the self defense development? Where is the fighting? Why did Korea create a martial art that refuses to behave like it is a real fighting art and instead is ambiguous?

Look at other martial arts styles and their world headquarters. It is much different looking. In the Kodokan for Judo you see people in white gis training their asses off. In the Japan Karate Association headquarters they have kicking bags, makiwaras and more martial arts things. In the World Hanbu Dojo for Kyokushin you see people training for full contact fighting. What do you see in the Kukkiwon? kpop looking boys and girls dancing and drama and the business suits and board meetings that never seem to end.

These are just some questions and feelings I have right now. If anyone else has anything to say please chime in in the comments!