By the end of the year, five KDI School students will not only be completing the coursework for a master’s degree in public policy, but they will proudly go home with the much coveted Taekwondo black belt.

Headed by Michal Bartusek of the Czech Republic, the club was an upshot of a rendezvous with KDI School alumni Martina Sipkova, who introduced him to Taekwondo Master Shin more than six months ago. Bartusek was certain that Master Shin’s dedication to Taekwondo and fun approach to teaching would prove to be very refreshing and inspiring for interested members. Supported by the KDI School, Bartusek distributed leaflets and actively sought membership from his peers. Initially, there were eleven members but only four members persevered including Corinne Bernaldez of the P h i l i p p i n e s , E z s t e r M a r k u s o f Hungary, Tatjana Radovanov of Serbia, and Jasurbek Rahmanov of Uzbekistan.

On November 24t h, the five members participated in the black belt examination, which c o n s i s t e d o f t h r e e p a r t s : t h e Taekwondo practice of “punce,” “ s p e c i f i c k i c k ” f o r b r e a k i n g a wood board, and the sparring match. The club’s hard work culminated in all the members receiving the black belt. While others can only dream about it, Bartusek and the other club members have had first-hand experience learning Taekwondo in its country of origin. They have been thoroughly satisfied with the experience, as Bartusek concludes, “Taekwondo has very nice principles that I think are applicable for everybody and beneficial to finding one’s balance in life. It can also help to gain confidence and improve physical conditions.”

By Dong Hee Kim (2009 MBA)