Muju to Link With Shaolin Temple
Posted at Jan 01, 05 in Shaolin Temple News

Muju County signed an agreement with Defeng city of China to form an international network of taekwondo and kung fu, the county office announced Tuesday.

Muju, a mountainous region in South Cholla Province, is bidding to host the Taekwondo Park, which will include construction of a gymnasium, training facilities and a taekwondo hall of fame with a 166.4-billion-won budget. Defeng of Henan Province is located near the Shaolin Temple complex, which serves as the headquarters of kung fu, a Chinese martial art.

"We will make Muju and Defeng sister cities very soon,¡¯¡¯ Muju county official Jeon Byung-soon said. "And I¡¯m sure that we will win the Taekwondo Park project, too.¡¯¡¯

Both sides agreed to improve friendships and foster the exchange of information, but the agreement didn¡¯t specify detailed future plans.

The Taekwondo Park project is planned for completion by 2013. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will announce the winner of the bid this week after making on-site inspections on the three candidates _ Muju, Kyungju of South Kyongsang Province and Chunchon of Kangwon Province.