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Ssireum

Korean wrestling in the sand.

Korean belt wrestling on sand: wrestlers grip a cloth band (satba) around the waist and thigh. UNESCO listed it jointly for both Koreas in 2018.

Fact file

Country
South Korea
Type
Grappling & wrestling
Sources: UNESCO — Traditional Korean wrestling (Ssirum/Ssireum) · Korea Ssireum Association

History

Ssireum is Korean traditional wrestling, shown in murals of the ancient Goguryeo tombs. Wrestlers kneel facing each other, hold the opponent's satba — a cloth belt tied around the waist and thigh — and stand up to start.

The first wrestler to touch the sand with any part of the body above the knee loses. In 2018 UNESCO inscribed ssireum as the first joint heritage element of North and South Korea.