Visiting Honduran President Porfirio Lobo, a devoted taekwondo practitioner holding a 3rd Dan black belt, received a taekwondo uniform from President Lee Myung-bak at Cheong Wa Dae, Monday.
The Honduran President also got an honorary 9th Dan certificate from the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) President Choue Chung-won during a ceremony following a luncheon at the presidential office.
President Lobo showed his love for the sport on Sunday during a welcoming dinner hosted by the WTF.
I started practicing taekwondo in 1986 under Korean Grandmaster Song Bong-kyung, President Lobo said in his speech at the dinner, which drew about 100 dignitaries from Korea and Honduras.
Grandmaster Song is known as the father of taekwondo in Honduras. The 9th Dan black belt holder devoted himself to nurturing the sport since 1975, when he moved to the South American nation to teach taekwondo to military and police officials there. He passed away in 2008.
I have learned discipline, courage and perseverance through the teachings of Grandmaster Song and that is why I have a special love for taekwondo and I owe too much to taekwondo, President Lobo said.
I am asking our Honduran youngsters to practice taekwondo as it gives the practitioners peace of mind, he added.
The President also said that he practiced taekwondo together with the Honduran Ambassador to Korea Michel Idiaquez Baradat, one of the dignitaries at the Sunday dinner, under Grandmaster Song.
It is a great privilege for the WTF to be hosting you this evening. Our shared love for the art and sport of taekwondo has established an already unique relationship," WTF President Choue said.
Tonight, I wish to express my deepest appreciation for your dedication and determination not only as your nations leader, but a member of our taekwondo family," Choue said. Your Excellency, you are a true testament to how taekwondo can enrich the lives of its practitioners. You are a model for what can be achieved through the life lessons that taekwondo can provide, he added.
