Third Korea Hangung Association President’s Cup National Hangung Tournaments Concludes Successfully
By AJA Editorial Bureau
CHEONGYANG, SOUTH KOREA: The Third Korea Hangung Association President’s Cup National Hangung Tournament, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the founding of Hangung, was successfully held on August 26, 2026, at the Cheongyang County Cultural Gymnasium in Cheongyang, Chungcheongnam-do.
Organized to present a new national standard for Hangung competitions, the tournament was co-hosted by the Korea Hangung Association and the Chungcheongnam-do Hangung Association, with official sponsorship from the World Hangung Association, Cheongyang County, and the Korea Culture Foundation.
Under the sub-theme “National Hangung Leaders Exchange & Competency Building Tournament,” the event brought together over 200 Hangung leaders and enthusiasts from across the nation. Participants included executive members of national and regional Hangung associations, newly appointed committee chairs, club leaders, certified instructors, coaches, and senior referees.
The opening ceremony was moderated by Kang Seok-jae, senior vice president of the Korea Hangung Association. It opened with a formal declaration by Jung Hee-jong, president of the Chungcheongnam-do Hangung Association, followed by an opening address from Kwang Hu, president of the Korea Hangung Association.
Yoo Hee-bong, senior vice president of the Cheongyang County Sports Council, delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of Council President Han Kwang-seok.
The ceremony proceeded with oaths by representative athlete and referee, a tournament rules briefing by the newly appointed Referee Committee Chair Lim Deok-ja, ceremonial throwing by distinguished guests, and a commemorative group photo.
Inside the gymnasium, a large LED electronic screen was installed above the stage to display real-time video coverage of the opening ceremony, live match action, and tournament scoring. A highlighted special event featured a throwing demonstration by the Chungju Developmental Disabilities Hangung Demonstration Team, which drew enthusiastic applause from the audience.Matches continued until 5:30 p.m. across team (men/women), individual (men/women), and ranking (men/women) divisions. All participating athletes and referees received official certificates of participation.
Hangung, founded in 2006, is an indigenous Korean traditional sport for all created by transforming dual-handed stretching movements into a standardized precision target sport.
Key dignitaries in attendance included Lee Ok-hee, CEO of the World Hangung Research Institute; Bae Sun-hee, president of the International Senior Dementia Prevention Hangung Association; and Lee Jun-hyeong, secretary general of the Korea Hangung Association.
In his opening address, Hangung founder Kwang Hu stated:
“The past 20 years laid the solid foundation for Hangung. Today marks the beginning of an era of new leaps forward. We aim to establish this tournament as the official operational standard for all future Hangung competitions. I hold high expectations for the roles of our newly appointed committee chairs across all sectors, including venue operations, refereeing, game control, equipment, event planning, protocol, and records management.”
In line with this strategic direction, the Korea Hangung Association recently appointed key national committee leadership:
* Tournament Committee Chair: Bae Gyun-seob (President, Jeollabuk-do Hangung Association)
* Referee Committee Chair: Lim Deok-ja (Secretary General, Gyeongsangbuk-do Hangung Association)
* Event Planning Committee Chair: Seo Yang-soon (Director, Seoul Hangung Association)
* Records Committee Chair: Kim Gyu-seung (Secretary General, Seoul Hangung Association)
* Public Relations Committee Chair: Jeong Hyang-soo (Director, Seoul Hangung Association)
