Taekwondo has taken its place not only as a kind of sports in Korea but also a public sport of the world. The fact that Taekwondo has contributed to spread the name Korea as a suzerain nation of Taekwondo cannot be underestimated when considering promotionof the nongovernmental diplomacy through Taekwondo. At this point, many Christian missionaries play a part for missionary having their own occupation and among all, the overseas missionary work through Taekwondo is one of ways Korean missionaries are using today.
In 21 century, a 'Restricted Access Nation,' which cannot be approached by the traditional method of missionary, is increasing. According to 'Ed Dayton,'32 nations that do not allow any form of foreign missionaries or firmly restrict evangelic works within their territories are confirmed.
The necessity of specialized missionary as a tool that can overcome the cultural barrierhas been pointed out in the flow of modern Christian missionary. The population of 'creative accessible area,' which prevents the access of the traditional missionaries, was publicized as 38 billion in the 1989 the 2nd Lausanne Missionary Conference (Global Professional Institute International, 1992). These lots of population belong to different cultural areas, and the way to overcome the barrier is to satisfy cultural desire and necessityon new things. Because the way is raising a professional missionary and through this an opportunity to suggest gospel can be secured, it is considered as a missionary strategy of 21 century.
Taekwondo has attracted the interested of the world being selected as an official sport in Olympic Game. To reflect such situation, the missionary strategy through Taekwondo actually has helped in many ways. Taekwondo serves to solve the visa problem,provide a place to settle down, and allow an easy access for missionary work. However, the missionary position of Taekwondo is still weak and requires more understanding.
Nonetheless, missionary work of Korea needs a unique strategy rather than following that of western. If the weakness of Taekwondo missionary is supplementedand more active missionary culture can be formed, it will be an amazing missionary tool with an excellent strategy that is given by God for us to reach not only the Islam regions but also the creative accessibleareas as well as untouched region on the world.
Especially even in the missionary restricted regions in Islam, which are known as the missionary assignment in 21 century, Korean Taekwondo instructors are welcomed and allowed to enter their countries. The history of Taekwondo missionary initiated in 1976 in Korea can be traced in various active works of the World Sports Mission, Korea Sports Mission, World Taekwondo Mission, and International Taekwondo Mission, and so on.
The potential Taekwondo missionary has unlike other professional missionaries is its accessibility of Taekwondo trainers, whichare 4 million practitioners and 28 million black-belt holders in Korea. Moreover, other countries want Taekwondo as one of popular sports in the world and it can be utilized as a good strategic method to approach countries with different cultures that are known as the missionary assignment in 21 century.
The Taekwondo utilized Christina missionary can suggest great benefits to Korean Taekwondo circle. First, the Taekwondo utilized Christina missionary provides an opportunity for youth groups today to train Taekwondo under the name of Christian missionary. Currently, various missionary organizations in Korea, such as 'World Taekwondo Missionary,' 'Korean University Sports missionary,' 'International Taekwondo Missionary,' and 'Hallelujah Taekwondo Missionary'are training professional missionaries, and they are ready to teach Korean Taekwondo in a country with different culture and equipped with great Taekwondo skill.
Second, the field of nongovernmental diplomacy can be opened through the Taekwondo missionaries. Actually, they perform overseas Taekwondo exhibition and promotion twice or three times a year and try hard to renovate the image of Korea through Taekwondo in the countries where gospel cannot be reached and the Communist orbit.
Third, gymnasium and Taekwondo related majors can be remarkable in Korean Christianity and theological universities. As missionary through taekwondo attracts people's attention, the Taekwondo Missionary major has been created in Nazareth University, Hanil University and Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Sungkyul University, and Asia Life University until today, and the facts that about 30 regular theological universities in Korea vitalize a Taekwondo missionary club and consider to create Taekwondo related majorseem to reflect the increased interest in Taekwondo missionary nowadays. On the other hand, the reason why Taekwondo will be an important means in missionary work is that there are many human resources of Taekwondo in Korea,
The history of Taekwondo missionary initiated in 1976 in Korea can be traced in various active works of the World Sports Mission, Korea Sports Mission, World Taekwondo Mission, and International Taekwondo Mission, and so on.
The potential Taekwondo missionary has unlike other professional missionaries is its accessibility of Taekwondo trainers, which are 4 million practitioners and 28 million black-belt holders in Korea. Moreover, other countries want Taekwondo as one of popular sports in the world and it can be utilized as a good strategic method to approach countries with different cultures that are known as the missionary assignment in 21 century.
In order to effectively use Taekwondo that is given by God and maximize its use as a means for missionary, it requires quality-based Taekwondo missionaries, association of missionary organizations, and cooperation of information exchange. Most of all, by awakening the perception of Korean churches regarding the sports missionary, it has to take a role to support the Taekwondo missionary work actively making the best of this opportunity in a leading position. In other words, it requires prior preparation whether how far the work of a missionary has to be done or how much it is dangerous depending on each country's situation.
It is true that Taekwondo is getting the world attention nowadays; however, there is a reason that people do not recognized it as a great gift given by God as a missionary tool.
First, a trend to make light of physical activity based on the Hellas dualism. By the stoics and Gnosticists in dualism that despised physical body and considered it a sin during the early period of churches, physical exercise was not allowed in the medieval times. Churches also forbade sports at that time. The reason for this phenomenon is that the mean-spirit of Rome sports games, the close relationship between the Rome sports and heathenism, and physical body were considered as wicked (Dong-won Kang, 2006).
Second, Korean churches' ignorance and indifference on Taekwondo for missionary. It is hard to find a company in the Taekwondo missionary and the prayers as well as financial support from churches and believers are not sufficient. Also many theological schools do not open a sports missionary course while nurturing a professional missionary in religious music. Moreover, it is hard to find a gymnasium in a theological school whereas many other regular schools are equipped with a gymnasium for training of students' physical body.
In order to unify the youth group, the advanced countries build a gymnasium and administer various sports programs. It seems hard for Korean churches but it they can provide the Taekwondo missionary program to students utilizing a gym, the youth group will come closer to and be familiar with a church. Such change will be a solid foundation for overseas missionary work as well.
Korean churches has to open their eyes to see the sports missionary that is rising as a world-known professional missionary strategyin 21 century, the time to make an effort for the world missionary of world evangelization. This is the demand of the time and an opportunity given by God for our race. Thus, Korean churches should support to make the best use of our gift, Taekwondo.
The important thing is that many Taekwondo missionaries have been sent abroad without receiving professional missionary training. It reflects a fault of Taekwondo missionary and becomes a factor not to perform more effective missionary work.
Moreover as they accompany their occupation along with missionary work, they share the difficulties that a regular missionary feels. It has a merit as their working place can be the field of missionary work, but the overloaded work must be the obstacle for an effective missionary work. For this reason, this study suggests the importance of having a professional missionary training as a way to cultivate one's disposition as a missionary before dispatched to other countries and addresses 'a team-oriented missionary work' that cooperates with other missionaries to supplementweak points of Taekwondo missionaries. Also, it asserts the establishment of a right missionary policy based on the above efforts forming the culture of the Taekwondo missionaries.
Taekwondo must be a means to provide the contacting point of gospel. Taekwondo, the national sport of Korea, has been trained by 5,000 trainers in 157 member countries with the attention of the world. Along with the other official sports in the Olympic Games, Korean became an official language after English, French, and Japanese. Taekwondo that has affluent human resource and a breakthrough on the missionary restricted areasmust be an important missionary means not only for Muslim countries but also for the world.

우리나라에서 1976년부터 시작된 태권도 선교는 세계 체육인 선교회와, 한국 스포츠 선교회, 세계 태권도 선교회와, 국제태권도 선교회 등의 활발한 활동으로 맥을 찾을 수 있다. 태권도 선교가 다른 전문인 선교와 달리 무한한 가능성을 예견해 줄 수 있는 것은 한국에 수련인구의 400만과 그중에 280만의 유단자를 가진 인적 자원을 활용할 수 있고 이제는 세계적인 스포츠로 여러 나라에서 태권도 사범을 원하고 특별히 21세기 선교과제로 알고 있는 이슬람권에 좋은 전략적인 방법으로 활용 할 수 있을 것이다. 하나님께서 우리나라에 허락한 태권도를 선교적인 도구로 효율적으로 사용하고 극대화시키기 위해서는 태권도 선교사의 질적인 것을 추구하고, 선교단체의 연합과 정보교환의 협력이 활성화 되고, 무엇보다도 한국교회의 스포츠 선교에 대한 의식의 전환을 깨워서 주목받고 있는 태권도 선교사역에 적극적으로 앞장서서 지원하고, 협력, 하나님이 주신 선교의 기회를 놓치지 않고 최선의 노력을 경주하여 선교를 위한 주도적인 역활을 감당해야 하겠다. 나라마다의 상황에 따라서 접근하는 선교사범의 역활도 어느 정도 과감할 것인가? 아니면 어느 정도의 위험성이 있는가? 를 사전에 준비해야 한다는 것이다.
태권도가 세계적인 스포츠로 세계 각국에서 주목을 가지고 있지만 하나님이 주신 엄청난 도구라는 것에 인식을 하지 못하는 이유가 있다.
첫째, 헬라적인 이원론에 입각한 육체활동의 경시 풍조이다. 초대교회시대에 나타난 육체를 경멸하고 죄악시 했던 이원론의 금욕주의자나 영지주의자들에 의해서 ‘운동(運動)’하는 것이 중세시대 때는 용납이 되지 않았다. 교회 또한 중세시대에도 스포츠를 용납하지 않았다. 그것에 대한 이유로는 로마스포츠 경기의 비열함, 로마의 운동과 이교와의 밀접한 관계, 신체는 사악한 것으로 인식이 되기 때문이다(강동원, 2006).
둘째, 한국교회의 태권도에 대한 선교적인 접근의 무관심과 무지이다. 태권도 선교는 동역자를 찾기가 힘들고 교회와 성도들의 기도 및 재정적인 지원이 너무나 빈약하기 때문이다. 또한 많은 신학교가 “종교음악”과 같은 전문인 사역자를 양성하지만 “스포츠선교학과”는 개설을 하지 않는다. 많은 대학들은 학교 내에 어느 정도의 체육관을 보유하고 학생들의 신체단련을 배려하고 있는데 반해서 신학교에서는 체육관을 찾아 볼 수 없는 현실이다. 선진국에서는 청소년과 청년을 하나로 뭉치게 하기 위해서 체육관을 건설하고 여러 가지의 스포츠 프로그램을 운영하는 것을 볼 수 있다. 한국의 교회들이 어렵겠지만 교육관을 활용하여 태권도 선교프로그램을 학생들에게 제공한다면 청소년들이 교회를 가까이하고 친근감을 갖게 되며, 이를 통해서 기틀을 마련하리라 생각한다.
한국교회는 민족복음화의 세계선교를 위해서 총력을 기울여야 할 때에, 21세기 세계적인 전문인 선교전략으로 부산하고 있는 스포츠 선교에 대한 인식이 바뀌어야 하는 눈을 열어야 한다. 이것은 시대적인 요청이요 하나님이 우리민족에게 허락한 기회일 것이다. 그러므로 하나님께서는 한국교회에 주신 “태권도”라는 달란트를 사용할 수 있도록 지원을 아끼지 않아야 하겠다.
중요한 것은 파송된 태권도 선교사들이 전문적인 선교훈련을 제대로 받지 못한 채 선교지로 나간 경우가 대부분이다. 이것은 태권도 선교의 잘못된 점을 보여주는 것이며 좀더 효율적인 선교를 할 수 없게 하는 요인이 된다.
또한 일과 사역을 함께 한다는 점에서 보통 전문인 선교사가 갖는 고충을 공유하고 있다. 다른 직업에 비해서 일터가 곧 전도의 장이 되는 점에서 더 우세하지만 과중한 업무는 효과적인 사역에 장애가 될 수밖에 없다. 이에 연구자는 태권도의 선교사를 파송하기 이전에 선교사로 서의 자질 배양을 위한 전문적인 선교훈련을 반드시 거칠 것과 태권도선교사가 다른 선교사들에 비해서 취약한 점을 보완해 줄 수 있는 다른 선교사와의 ‘팀사역’을 권장하고 한국 내에 태권도 선교사의 문화를 형성하여 그것을 바탕으로 한 올바른 선교정책을 수립되어야 할 것을 주장한다.
태권도는 분명히 복음의 접촉점을 마련할 수 있는 도구이다.
한국의 국기인 태권도는 세계적인 관심 속에 157개의 회원국과 5천명의 해외사범이 수련생을 지도 하고 있다. 올림픽의 공식적인 종목과 함께 영어, 불어, 일본어에 이어서 한국어가 올림픽의 공식 언어로 반열에 오른 것이다. 선교의 인적자원의 풍부와 선교제한 지역의 돌파구가 되는 태권도는 이슬람뿐만 아니라 전 세계적으로 뻗어가는 선교도구임에 틀림이 없다(조귀삼, 1996).