WoMAU has built the foundation for traditional martial arts-related cooperative activities between Korea-Laos

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relationship between Korean and Laos, the Secretariat of WoMAU (President Chung Hwa-tae) paid a visit to Vientiane, Laos for seven days from November 2. President Chung Hwa-tae, who visited Vientiane, Laos for the purpose of promoting WoMAU‘s activities such as the Chungju World Martial Arts Festival and the Cultural Partners Initiative and drawing up an officially supporting system for facilitating Laos to participate in its hosted events, signed MOU with Laos’ Minister of Education and Sports, and the Muay Lao Association for cooperation in the field of traditional martial arts, sports, education and social issues, thereby laying the sustainable foundation of international cooperation to expand the base of martial arts.

President Chung Hwa-tae met with the Deputy Minister of Education and Sports (Mr. Boualane SYLIPANYA), the Secretary General of the Olympic Committee (Mr. Kasem INTHARA) and the Chairman of the Association of WoMAU‘s member (Mr. Saysamone SAYASONE) and introduced to them the activities of the World Martial Arts Union, including the Chungju World Martial Arts Festival and the Cultural Partnership Initiative. In response, they agreed to dispatch Laos’ martial artists to the Cultural Partnership Initiative conducted by WoMAU, and promised to take a positive consideration of taking part in WoMAU’s international events, at the level of the government of Laos.

In addition, they asked for cooperation from WoMAU, on the registration of Muay Lao as intangible cultural asset with UNESCO. They decided to pursue intangible cultural asset registration with UNESCO by benchmarking the cases of the World Martial Arts Federation and Taekkyeon, and expressed expectations that WoMAU would cooperate with it for the sake of protection of traditional marital arts.