UNIFIL peacekeepers from the Republic of Korea organized a taekwondo competition among a group of school students from the UN Mission’s area of operation in south Lebanon earlier this month. 

A total of 31 students from five different villages, who had earlier received taekwondo training from the UNIFIL peacekeepers, participated in the 10 February event. 

During the event, the audience was captivated by the brilliant kicking demonstrations by Ali Wafik Krayani, 20, who had won third place in the kicking and board-breaking criteria of last year’s World Taekwondo United Competition, hosted in South Korea.

One of the participants, Fidaa Fakih, who won the first place in women's poomsae, said that taekwondo “allowed her to cultivate a healthier mind and body.” 

UNIFIL’s Korean peacekeepers have been training local youth on taekwondo since 2008. To date, more than 800 students have attended these classes. In 2016, six Lebanese taekwondo students, trained by the UN troops, attended the World Taekwondo United Competition, showing their skills in poomsae and board-breaking.