Kukkiwon Department in Kyrgyzstan
The work of the official representation of Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters, in Kyrgyzstan. Grandmaster Lee Seung Gyu is Kukkiwon’s official representative in the Kyrgyz Republic.
Grandmaster Lee Seung Gyu, 8th dan in Taekwondo WT
Short biography
Grandmaster Lee Seung Gyu was born on 13 June 1969. He finished L-Chon High School in 1988 and graduated from the Taekwondo Department of Yong In University in 1994. From 1994 to 2000 he coached the national Taekwondo WT team of Kazakhstan. In 1995, under Grandmaster Lee’s guidance, the Kazakhstan team won the 7th International Military Taekwondo Tournament in Isfahan, Iran.
From 1996 to 1999 he was a volunteer of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Kazakhstan, where he taught taekwondo at the customs police academy. In 2000 he was sent to Kyrgyzstan, where he has worked ever since.
The work of Grandmaster Lee Seung Gyu
Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters, has dispatched its taekwondo masters to 56 countries around the world. These masters are a kind of diplomatic corps of taekwondo: they spread Korea’s national sport in the countries they are sent to and help local athletes and organisations develop it.
Grandmaster Lee first worked in Kazakhstan (1994–2000) and often came to Kyrgyzstan to hold seminars for athletes. In early May 2000 Kukkiwon dispatched Grandmaster Lee Seung Gyu to Kyrgyzstan.
From Grandmaster Lee Seung Gyu’s interview with Taekwondo Aktuell
In the photo: a congratulatory speech at the Grandmaster Lee Seung Gyu Cup.
From a young age Grandmaster Lee dreamed of becoming a taekwondo instructor and working abroad. His cherished goal is to promote taekwondo around the world and to carry out the mission of its globalisation. The master’s work serves sports diplomacy and helps taekwondo develop in Central Asia.
From Grandmaster Lee Seung Gyu’s interview with Taekwondo Aktuell
Thanks to Grandmaster Lee’s dedicated work, the Taekwondo WT Association of the Kyrgyz Republic has built good relations with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Kyrgyzstan. The “Cup of the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Kyrgyz Republic” taekwondo tournament is held every year. In 2008 and 2014 the Association also held tournaments for the “Cup of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic in Taekwondo WT”.
Master Lee considers it a special achievement that under his guidance a Kyrgyz athlete won the Asian regional qualification tournament and earned a licence to compete at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, as well as at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
In Kyrgyzstan Master Lee trains the athletes of the national Taekwondo WT team and teaches Kyrgyz instructors. Three times a week he teaches taekwondo to the cadets of the military lyceum. Today Master Lee is the Technical Director of the Taekwondo WT Association of the Kyrgyz Republic.
One of Master Lee’s main goals is for Kyrgyz taekwondo athletes to win a medal at the Olympic Games.
I am proud that taekwondo, a martial art born in Korea, is now a beloved sport and martial art all over the world. I think this is because there are many things, such as manners and respect for elders, that can be learned through taekwondo. My main goal is for the athletes I teach to win medals at the Olympic Games. Still, I hope that taekwondo will not move too far towards sport and will keep its value as a martial art.
— from Grandmaster Lee Seung Gyu’s interview with Taekwondo Aktuell