Breaking 150 Wooden Boards at Every Performance... The Spectacular 'Taekwon, Fly High'

Taekwondo Demonstration Team Expands from 5 to 14 Members
More Spectacular Performances
Show Runs Until August 27 at Woori Financial Art Hall

Jingle~ Jingle~ Following the slowly ringing bell, a person with their eyes covered moves. Jingle~ Jingle~ Jingle~ The bell rings rapidly in short intervals as they reach the wooden board. Wearing a Taekwondo uniform, the person estimates the distance and then leaps fearlessly, breaking the wooden board in midair.

The Taekwondo-themed musical Taekwondo, Fly High has opened at Woori Financial Art Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul. It has been one year since its premiere at the National Museum of Korea Theater Yong. The larger stage is filled with dazzling Taekwondo techniques. For the performance, the Taekwondo demonstration team and black belts increased from 5 to 14 members. There are 11 musical actors performing.

[Photo by Live Co., Ltd.]

The goal is to make it impossible for the audience to distinguish who is an athlete and who is an actor. The actors practiced kicking 3,000 times a day to narrow the gap with the athletes. To deliver powerful kicks into the air, they underwent rigorous stretching training until the veins behind their thighs nearly burst.

Acting was also a challenge for the athletes. At the press conference held on the 18th, director Kim Myunghoon said, “The athletes were unfamiliar with acting since they had never sung or spoken lines before. When I told them a story, they tried to do exactly as I said, so I worked to draw out authenticity even in raw performances.” Taekwondo 5th Dan athlete Choi Seoin shared, “Since it was my first time acting, I didn’t know how to deliver lines or express emotions, but with good guidance, I was able to show gradual improvement.”

Photo by Live Co., Ltd.

The story remains largely unchanged from the original. Set against the backdrop of the Korean Sports High School Taekwondo team, a powerhouse for 30 years but struggling for several years, the team faces losing their training ground to the Judo club. They enter the “Taekwondo Strongest Festival” and aim to win first place. Between the main plot, the story fills in the friendship and passion for dreams among teenagers, along with spectacular Taekwondo moves.

It is no exaggeration to say that almost all facets of Taekwondo are included. From sparring to poomsae and breaking techniques, the thrilling aerial kicks evoke awe. On average, about 150 wooden boards are used per performance. The number of wooden boards stored backstage reaches 50,000. To reduce injury risk, a 20 cm thick elastic mat is laid on the floor.

Photo by Live Co., Ltd.

Audience participation opportunities are also diverse. Spectators can come on stage to break wooden boards themselves, or the performance can be decided by drawing lots. Some demonstration performances offer 5 to 6 options, and the stage for that day is determined by the audience’s lottery results.

The musical aims to be a creative production that appeals to all generations. Beyond a family musical, it intends to deliver various forms of enjoyment tailored to each generation. The direction was carefully crafted to convey dreams and hope to children, and memories and visual delights to adults.

However, focusing on Taekwondo performances sometimes leaves the story development feeling sparse, which is a regrettable aspect. The humor code, adjusted more for younger children than in the premiere, somewhat limits the musical’s expansiveness. Writer Kim Jungmin said, “Since performances take up a large portion, creating the story was a new task. There were many considerations. In fact, storytelling exists even in poomsae and Super Taekwonmu, which may seem unrelated to the story. We will strive to further integrate the strengths of performance and musical through dramatic development.”

The performance runs until August 27 at Woori Financial Art Hall.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.