For being such a tiny country Korea has a seriously impressive list of martial arts, far more than most other large countries. It is true that they have been at war for almost their entire history and still today which must be one of the main reasons they have developed so many fighting styles. During various invasions it was illegal for them to practice many forms, though they were still handed down in secret. The Koreans have earned a reputation for fighting off significant attacks from larger better equipped armies – a trait they still clearly cling to today.

What is also amazing compared to other countries is that these martial arts use a wide range of styles from wrestling based styles to those like Taekwondo featuring acrobatic kicks where as other countries may be known for just one core type of fighting. And even more notable is that several of these Korean martial arts have spread across the globe and built up followings matching or surpassing any other one style. These martial arts involve incredibly well developed empty hand techniques as well as a huge range of weapons. In recent years there has also been a big revival of other Korean fighting arts including sword arts, knife fighting and archery.

Hapkido, Taekyon, Kwan Moo, Yongmudo, Gwon Gyokdo, Hwa Rang Do

Sun Kwan Moo

A little-known, Buddhist-based martial art, sun kwan moo includes meditation and physical training with the aim of advancing students toward enlightenment. Probably of Zen origin (called “sun” in Korean), it started after 1945 and, in the 1960s, was taught at Bom Oh Temple in Korea.

Uniquely, students engage in a remarkable exercise known as “tol palki,” which involves hopping from rock to rock on a mountain top, with the hope of achieving the elusive state of “no mind.”

Korea has given us tae kwon do, an Olympic sport since the 2000 Games, and the world’s most popular martial art—one that is officially practiced by approximately 50 million people in 120 countries worldwide.

Martial arts enjoy enormous popularity in Korea. Nearly every street corner in Seoul has a “dojang,” a martial training school, and tae kwon do has been taught in the country’s primary schools since the 1970s. Today, approximately 50 million people around the world practice this Olympic sport, making it the most popular martial art in the world.