Martial Arts Expert Awarded Honorary Black Belt

The Hill reports:

Former President Trump received an honorary ninth dan belt certificate in taekwondo from the sport’s main governing body in Florida over the weekend.

Issued by Kukkiwon president Lee Dong-sup, Trump received the honorary belt at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. Kukkiwon posted the exchange to its Facebook page, where Trump can be seen wearing a traditional taekwondo uniform, outfitted with a black dan belt.

In taekwondo, the ninth dan belt is the highest level a person can achieve. In the exchange between Trump and Dong-sup at the former president’s Florida resort, a framed photo can be seen of Trump shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The New York Post reports:



The former president reportedly said that he will wear the taekwondo ​outfit to Congress if ​he is elected president again and invited the Kukkiwon demonstration team to the United States to perform.

Trump is not the first prominent world leader to receive a ninth-degree black belt. Russian President Vladimir Putin was awarded the honor during a visit to Seoul in 2013. Like Trump, Putin never practiced taekwondo. However, the Russian leader does have a black belt in judo.