Interview with a youth majoring in martial arts

Chae-rin HAN

Q1. Please introduce yourself

Hello, I am Chae-rin Han, a Taekwondo major. I am currently a third-year student in the Taekwondo Department at Yongin University. I am taking practical Taekwondo classes as well as theory classes to broaden my knowledge and perspectives. Since I major in martial arts, I naturally became interested in a job that requires both physical strength and knowledge. Currently I am a university student, but at the same time, I am working as a military officer candidate to pursue my dream. 

Q2. What do you think are the positive effects of martial arts on young people in modern society?

The more a society develop, it seems that people focus more on competitive activities than on community consciousness required for social solidarity. People also seem to value autonomy and independence that pursue individual’s fundamental rights and freedom. Against this backdrop, I do think that martial arts in this modern society have positive effects on children and teenagers and also play an important role in forming values. Martial arts are usually done based on group sessions so several practitioners practice together, enabling the practitioners to learn how to cooperate, respect and be considerate for each other.

While practicing, practitioners must have an attitude of respecting and being considerate for others, and must follow the rules and regulations. Practitioners shall note that martial art is not only about skills but more about the right attitude and spirit. Such attitude and spirit shall be carried out not only on the court, but also be applied in the community, which will contribute in developing relationships with others in a positive way. Furthermore, I believe that they lead to sense of community and have positive effect on the overall society as well.

In addition, martial arts training, which requires concentration and composure, helps you achieve emotional stability, and fight against depression and anxiety. In modern society, unfortunately some teenagers just don’t know how to relieve stress or sometimes end up relieving their stress in an inappropriate manner. I believe that martial art training enables young people to relieve their stress that comes from various sources in a very healthy way. Martial art training promotes health through physical activity but also has positive effect on the mental health since you can enjoy a sense of accomplishment.

Q3. What effect do you think martial arts had on forming your personality or character?

I feel like if I hadn’t majored in Taekwondo, I wouldn’t have developed the personality and values I have now. When I was training, I used to have those moments that I was running out of breath and wanted to give up, but if you just keep running, you feel a sense of accomplishment that you made it till the end. Such sense of accomplishment that came with pain contributed in letting me be the one who I am now, the kind of a person who never gives up easily. Whenever I encountered with challenges, I knew how to remain confident and have tried to fight against such challenges rather than give up or feel discouraged, which always taught me new lessons in the process. Now I know how important it is to have the right attitude; reflect after losing a match, build interpersonal skills when working in groups, to always be responsible, and value what you have learned through your own experiences. Martial arts opened up a bigger world for me, letting me be the one who I am now.

Q4. Do you have any advice for children or teenagers who would like to major in martial arts in the future?

When you learn and major in martial arts, you definitely will encounter a moment that you feel overwhelmed because you want to be good at both studies and martial arts, and there will also be times you have doubts about whether you should continue your major or not.

Personally, I think I went through such an unstable period until recently. Of course even now, I don’t have a clear vision when I draw my future, but I know that the invaluable experience of learning and majoring in martial arts will serve as a milestone when marching towards the future, so I am glad I chose martial arts as my major.

There is a saying that goes “Obstacles are not there to make you fall, but to make you overcome them” which touched me deep inside when I was going through tough times. I know that some of you are having some hard times, struggling, but once you overcome such challenges, you will notice that you grew up one step further. I will always support you in that process. Let’s all rise and shine and become passionate!

※ Views in this interview are the author's own.