USTMA Korea
USTMA holds a special "sister school" and "sister city" relationship with Samcheok City, Korea. Each year, Tae Kwon Do martial arts students and instructors from Samcheok City come to Leesburg to visit and study at USTMA. Students are hosted by local families and compete in tournaments and demonstrations alongside of USTMA athletes.
2009 marked USTMA's inaugural trip to Samcheok City, Korea. Grandmaster Choi took over 25 students and family members in August to compete in Samcheok City's Mayor's Friendship Tournament. Samcheok City hosted Team USA 2009 by providing lodging and food. Additionally, trip participants were invited to meet with the Mayor and Mayoral staff and received awards and photographs as souvenirs. The Team USA 2009 also went sightseeing, took a beach trip, ate local fare, and took a trip to Seoul before returning home.
Students returned in 2011 with Grandmaster Choi and spent a week visiting with many of the same students and families met in 2009.
About Korea
Quick Facts on South Korea
- Geographic Area - Eastern Asia (Korean Peninsula)
- Size - Slightly larger than Indiana
- Population - 49 million
- Language - Hangul
- Major Industries - Electronics, Telecommunications, Automobiles, Petrochemicals, Shipbuilding, Steel
- Agricultural Products - Rice, Root Crops, Barley, Vegetables, Fruit, Livestock
Tae Kwon Do in the Olympics
- 1988 Demonstration Sport in Seoul, South Korea
- 1992 Demonstration Sport in Barcelona, Spain
- 1996 Demonstration Sport in Atlanta, GA, USA
- 2000 Full Medal Sport in Sydney, Australia
