South Korea’s traditional sport Jokgu introduced to Sri Lanka

 A demonstration of Jokgu

By Susil Premalal

As part of a national initiative to introduce and promote popular international sports in Sri Lanka, the official launch ceremony of Jokgu, a traditional and widely played sport in South Korea, was held recently at the Ministry of Sports.

The introduction of Jokgu to Sri Lanka has been carried out under a systematically planned programme that began in 2025. With the successful implementation of this initiative, Jokgu is expected to mark a new chapter in Sri Lanka’s sporting history.

The inaugural event was organized with the involvement of Hong Ki-yong, President of the Korean World Jokgu Federation, and Nandana Embuldeniya, Sri Lanka’s representative to the International Jokgu Federation with the approval of Minister of Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Gamage stated that Sri Lanka remains open to embracing any sport practiced around the world. He emphasised that while introducing international sports to Sri Lanka is important, a key objective is also to promote indigenous Sri Lankan sports on the global stage. 

At the next phase of the programme, Jokgu will be introduced at district level through selected schools, universities and various sports organisations. In addition, initiatives to distribute sports equipment to selected schools to support the promotion and development of the game are expected to be implemented in the near future.