Name: Vaios Koukouletsos
Age: 43
Country: Greece
Job: Taekwondo coach
Level: 6 dan


1. What is your feeling about visiting Korea?


I had been thinking that Korea is filled with really culturally different things before visiting Korea. Above all, I felt afraid of having hot Korean food because I have trouble eating spicy and hot food. Actually I prefer sweet food. Some pizza sauces, pickles, and toppings are really different from my country. However, now I think it is not a serious thing but just a cultural difference. So, I’ve almost adapted to the different culture of Korea by using some methods like ketchup.


2. Why did you choose Keimyung University?


I’ve visited Korea many times since 2008. Every time I come here, I like the good facilities and clean environment of each university. I’ve visited so many universities like Korea National Sports University, Dankook University, and Jeonju University. However, there was no university like Keimyung which likes and respects me.

3. How famous is taekwondo in Greece and which age group wants to learn taekwondo in Greece?


Now, in Greece, there are so many sports like kungfu, karate, and kick boxing. Among these, taekwondo is one of the most famous and interesting sports. It was not that famous in the beginning. However, taekwondo has developed step by step. I’m a taekwondo coach with six dan, and also a military police academy teacher. I lead my taekwondo team, which consists of 14 members. Although the ratio of men to women is 2:1, it is a famous and interesting sport for men and women of all ages. Now, there are two or three academies per village in Greece which specialize in teaching taekwondo and an academy has about 100 students. The total number of academies is about 700. That is, there are 70,000 students who are learning taekwondo.


4. What is the attraction of taekwondo to you?


The reason why I do and love taekwondo is that the chants like “Attention” and “Bow” and diverse techniques or poses are really cool. Furthermore, it looks more polite. I think those are taekwondo’s attractions.


5. How do you introduce taekwondo to the public in Greece?


I’ve visited Korea several times to participate in the World Taekwondo Peace Corps Foundation in 2009 and 2010, after my first visit in 2008. Every time I visit Korea, I get some taekwondo training. Every time I get some training in Korea, I find out there are so many differences between taekwondo in Korea and taekwondo in Greece. Furthermore, it is much harder training. So, I’ll learn the correct techniques and poses of taekwondo in Korea and then spread those in Greece. Also, I’ll keep checking the differences. As a trainer, I am planning to work for the Worldwide Taekwondo Center in Muju which will be finished next year.