Taekwondo artists take aim at Guinness record [VIDEO]

About 8,800 taekwondo martial artists perform poomsae in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on April 21. Jets from the South Korean air force's 53rd Air Demonstration Group fly above. / Yonhap

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By Ko Dong-hwan

More than 8,000 taekwondo martial artists hope they have rewritten the Guinness World Records with their performance in front of the National Assembly on April 21.

Professional taekwondo artists, enlistees from the Army, Navy and Air Force, policemen and civilians from across the nation demonstrated "poomsae," a defined pattern of defense-and-attack motions, on the front lawn.

Guinness judges could recognize their simultaneous display as a taekwondo poomsae demonstration involving a record number of participants.

A total of 8,212 participants performed poomsae ― showing perfect forms without breaks or irregular moves ― and satisfied conditions for a world record, according to the National Assembly. The global record authority's headquarters in England will notify the reveal its decision within a week.

The 53rd Air Demonstration Group jets draw the center circle of the South Korean national flag during the poomsae performance. / Yonhap

Eight jets from the 53rd Air Demonstration Group, nicknamed Black Eagles, a flight display team, flew above the martial artists, drawing the center "yin-yang" circle of the South Korean national flag.

Titled "Taekwondo, enunciation of peace," the event celebrated the martial art's new legal status as a national sport after the National Assembly's plenary meeting passed the revision of the Law for Taekwondo Promotion in March.

Bareunmirae Party lawmaker Lee Dong-sup, the National Assembly Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee member and a member of Lawmakers Taekwondo Federation, spearheaded the event. He and eight other lawmakers were among those who performed the poomsae.

More than 20,000 people flooded the Lawmakers Taekwondo Federation website when the federation advertised for participants.

On the day, National Assembly Speaker Chung Se-kyun received an "honorable eighth dan" from world taekwondo headquarters Kukkiwon for his contribution to the sport.