Wrestling in South Korea

A major tourist destination in Asia, South Korea has many wonderful opportunities for people visiting the country. Apart from entertainment, and nightclubs, theatres and shopping, interesting locations and sightseeing, South Korea also offers a wide range of sports and recreation options to the people coming here, looking for an enjoyable and satisfying holiday. South Korea has an endless choice of sports and recreational activities, ranging from golf and horse riding, to skating and skiing, from wrestling and boxing, to judo and Taekwondo, from football, baseball, tennis to bowling. One of the most well-known and traditional sport here is Wrestling in South Korea.

Wrestling in South Korea is a traditional form of sport, and is known by the name of "Ssireum", or "Sirum". The oldest of traditional sports in South Korea, it finds depiction in the wall paintings of the royal tombs of the Goguryeo Kingdom. This is a proof of the fact that Wrestling in South Korea dates back almost to the pre-Three Kingdom era.

The sport of Wrestling in South Korea, or 'Ssireum', is popular during the Korean holiday of Dano, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Tournaments are also held, in the summer and autumn. According to tradition, the prize for winning a tournament of Wrestling in South Korea was a bull to stand for the strength of the contestant.

The professional game of Wrestling in South Korea, has 3 weight classes, namely -

Lightweight, or Han La, named after the second highest peak in Korea.
Heavyweight, or Baek Du, named after the highest peak in Korea.
Open, or Chun Ha, literally, 'under the heaven', which refers, in plain words, to the "world champion".