Korean traditional archery finds next generation to carry on heritage
Archers use Korean traditional bows, relying on sight and sense for aiming at 30m and 50m distances, during the first annual 8:15 Liberation Day Commemorative Traditional Archery Competition at Induk University in northeastern Seoul, Aug. 15. Courtesy of Choi Joon-kee
Traditional Korean archers from university clubs across Seoul gathered at Induk University in northeastern Seoul on Aug. 15 for the first annual 8:15 Liberation Day Commemorative Traditional Archery Competition.
Preserving the rich heritage of Korean Traditional Archery (KTA), the competition saw students from universities including Yonsei, Dongguk, Ewha Womans and Seoul Women’s University shooting at targets distanced at 30 and 50 meters, in team and individual events, using traditional laminated recurve bows unique to Korea and its intertwined military history.
Kings and nobility of successive dynasties were all thought to have enjoyed KTA for both mental and physical training and relaxation, with archery historically also being incorporated into Korean martial arts and military training.
The first annual 8:15 Liberation Day Commemorative Traditional Archery Competition is held at Induk University in northeastern Seoul with Mount Choan as a backdrop, Aug. 15. Courtesy of Choi Joon-kee
Korea’s oft-pressured youth are similarly finding a cool and unique pastime in KTA.
KTA (known as gungdo, or gukgung in Korean) has been tremendously popular as a hobby among adults for decades, with over 300 traditional archery private membership clubs, called gungdo jeong (with jeong meaning "range"), scattered across the country. But joining and participating can be exclusive and monetarily restrictive for most Koreans, let alone interested foreigners.
The university competition marks a growing, and more accessible, interest in KTA with Korea’s MZ Generation (those born between 1980 and 2010) looking to rediscover Korea's past with new retro-seeking eyes.
According to Korea Archery Federation data, there were 24 university clubs, with about 800 members total, registered nationwide as of 2023. There has been a nationally recognized federation for university archery since 2018, but participation has increased dramatically in the post-pandemic era. Korean dominance in Olympic archery over the years has added to the interest and current trend.
Kang Seo-hyun, a first-year student at Seoul Women’s University and participant in the competition, first became attracted to KTA because of the attention to technique.
“The bows are pretty and stylish, so I got attracted to them,” she said. “I like the posture and the way the bow is drawn. The sound of hitting the target makes me want to keep trying.”
Choi Seung-hyun, a second-year business communications major at Seoul Women’s University, echoed the addictive sense of achievement.
“There’s a pleasure in shooting the arrow, the sense of accomplishment when I feel I’ve grown,” she said. “I want to keep working at it and get better.”
A judge tallies points at the target as university archers look on during the first annual 8:15 Liberation Day Commemorative Traditional Archery Competition at Induk University in northeastern Seoul, Aug. 15. Courtesy of Choi Joon-kee
The term “hip tradition” refers to the current trend among younger Koreans who seek to find a fresh take on traditional cultures and cuisines. This desire for nostalgia extends to rediscovering traditional desserts such as yakgwa, frequenting traditional markets and coffee shops and collecting modern interpretations of cultural relics sold at museum gift shops. The “hip traditional” can be seen as similar to “new-tro,” in that it reinterprets tradition in a new and hip way, not simply as nostalgia for bygone days.
As many as 20 universities in Seoul have KTA clubs, including Korea University, Seoul National University and Hanyang University. Nine universities, as well as clubs from several public indoor training facilities across the city, brought archers to Thursday’s event, with over 50 participants in a variety of competition categories.
Yang Jun-mo is the manager of Nowon Hwalssoa Archery Range and one of the 8:15 Liberation Day Competition organizers and judges. The indoor training facility offers support for several university KTA clubs in northeastern Seoul’s Nowon Districts. Yang said that although cooperation with local KTA private ranges is available, there are unique features with university clubs. The distance to the targets is one drastic difference.
“Most of these university students need short-range (30m, 50m) archery competitions, as opposed to 145m being the standard length at private gungdo jeong and regional competitions, due to their weak archery skills and short training time,” Yang said.
KTA is one way to bridge the gap between generations, he said, letting new generations rediscover their heritage in unique ways that can also help them express individuality.
Members of the Kwangwoon University club, first in the team event, pose in front of the animal target, with a bear as a bulls-eye, during the first annual 8:15 Liberation Day Commemorative Traditional Archery Competition at Induk University in northeastern Seoul, Aug. 15. Courtesy of Andrew White
“Young people in Korea are much more interested in K-culture than previous generations,” Yang said. “They are proud of themselves and are also very interested in traditional archery.”
His comments highlight the interrelated, three-tiered system of KTA currently in place for those interested in taking up the sport.
Most symbolic are the members-only ranges, with established and often historic outdoor ranges and targets at a fixed 145m distance. Seokhojeong, located on Mount Nam, and Hwanghakjeong, located just west of Gwanghwamun Square, are two examples of the nine membership ranges in Seoul. Much like private golf courses, membership can be exclusive, but once initiated one is set with a rigorous three-month training schedule focusing on the technique of drawing and shooting the bow accurately — a daunting regimen considering the 145m distance and the bare-bones traditional bow. There is absolutely no resemblance to the Olympic archery style (with its form-fitting grips, sights and other aiming aids), other than the ironic Korean dominance, as the recent sweep of Paris Olympic archery gold medals suggests. There’s also a deep sense of tradition and Confucian etiquette in the membership system, a constant reminder that it is a sport not just of body, but of mind. Mental and perhaps even spiritual rigor are essential.
More accessible, albeit much fewer in number, are the public training facilities, such as Hwalssoa. These are smaller, indoor venues that are open to the public for all ages, offering equipment rental and easy access training. Targets are set at 30 meters. Currently there are five such venues in Seoul, with TAC (traditional archery club) used as a popular term.
Gwon Yi-hyun, 29, is one such indoor venue archer who participated in the recent competition. She said the availability of local facilities made it easier for her to start shooting.
“I was interested in sports where you stay still and have to shoot something, and I became interested in traditional archery through an archery website group,” she said. “Unlike Olympic-style archery, there’s no assistive devices to help shoot. And there’s no expensive burden for people to start.”
Third is the university clubs, which rely heavily on TACs for their existence. While a spirited university club may have organizational backing, an advisory professor and school support in general, it most likely needs external facilities for training equipment, guidance and discipline.
Active participation between the private membership ranges, TACs and university clubs illustrate the cooperation and codependency needed for university archery, and KTA as a whole, to continue growing in the coming years. Better on-campus training and support through university administrations would strengthen school club efficiency and unity, rather than students being forced to commute to the nearest TAC for training.
On the other hand, private ranges, arguably the meccas for Korean archery heritage, and once thought of as exclusive for the older generation, should allow for increased college-level training programs and visitations. The 145m distance with arching arrow trajectory is the hallmark of KTA, requiring a well-formed technique and mental concentration that can’t be learned at indoor venues.
As Thursday’s 8:15 Liberation Day Commemorative Traditional Archery Competition highlighted, university archers took the opportunity and successfully showed off their outdoor skills.
Archers, judges and organizers, along with Andrew White, advisory professor of Induk University's archery club, pose during the first annual 8:15 Liberation Day Commemorative Traditional Archery Competition at Induk University in northeastern Seoul, Aug. 15. Courtesy of Choi Joon-kee
For individual shooters, there were a variety of events, structured in categories at the 30 and 50 meter distance, and with bows under 25, 32 and 40 pounds. Most hits out of five rounds of five shots determine one’s score, with 25 being perfect.
The team events were a bit less conventional, with archers shooting at two-dimensional animal targets (such as tigers, rabbits and monkeys, with bears as the bulls-eye) offering different point values. Kwangwoon University brought home the gold, with Induk University capturing silver and Seoul Women’s University the bronze.
Andrew White is an American, and has been a college professor in Seoul's Nowon District for 25 years. He received honorary Seoul citizenship in 2018 for his interest in and promotion of Korean traditional archery.