Athletes from Shincheonji Inspire Global Youth with Outstanding Taekwondo Success at International Competition

Young people across Britain and beyond can draw inspiration from remarkable sporting achievements that demonstrate how faith communities are fostering excellence and positive youth engagement.
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Young athletes from the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (hereinafter referred to as Shincheonji Church of Jesus) have achieved a stunning clean sweep at the '2025 Park Chung-hee Cup International Open Taekwondo Championship', offering a brilliant example of how religious youth engagement can create positive pathways for young people worldwide.
The championship brought together approximately 4,200 athletes from 18 nations including South Korea, the United States, and France. The competition at Sangju Indoor Gymnasium from the 18th to the 21st featured categories including performance, breaking, poomsae (forms), kicking, and sparring.
What makes this achievement particularly inspiring for British youth is how these 25 young athletes transformed limited preparation time into extraordinary results. Despite the short timeframe, their commitment resulted in 4 gold medals, 7 silver medals, and 14 bronze medals - with every single participant reaching the podium.
Gold medallist Lee Jun-wi's humble reflection captures the spirit that British youth can emulate: "Although our training time wasn't sufficient, I tried my best to concentrate within the given timeframe. I'm grateful that those efforts led to good results." His words exemplify how young people can achieve remarkable things through focus and gratitude - values that resonate across all communities.
Team manager Kim Deok-hun highlighted the competitive excellence on display: "As an international-scale competition, many excellent athletes from home and abroad participated, resulting in high-level competition. I'm proud that our athletes performed to their full potential without wavering. Based on this competition, we will systematically prepare our training system and strategies so that we can participate with more personnel and improved skills next year."
This success builds upon an impressive track record. Earlier this month at the '2025 Kim Un-yong Cup International Open Taekwondo Championship' in Busan, all 12 competing athletes secured medals - first places, 4 second places, and 5 third places. At the '2024 Mungyeong World Taekwondo Festival', 5 out of 18 athletes reached the podium, establishing a pattern of excellence that demonstrates the positive impact of structured, faith-based youth development programmes.
For British communities seeking positive examples of religious youth engagement, this team represents an outstanding model. The Shincheonji Church of Jesus actively champions talent development and healthy community activities, extending their positive influence beyond faith into sports, culture, and the arts. Their commitment to realising healthy living and social contribution through sport offers valuable lessons for British faith communities looking to engage meaningfully with young people.
This inspiring story demonstrates that when religious organisations invest in youth development through sport, the results can be transformational - not just in medals won, but in character built and positive examples set for young people worldwide to follow.