For their final project, students in Ms. Nam's English class are giving group presentations about Korean culture. Minji: Before we start, guess what this is!
QUIZ! This is a team sport. It used to be an Olympic event. Stepping forward means your defeat. Players use a long rope. Yes, the answer is juldarigi or tug of war. This is the topic of our presentation. You all must have played this game at least once because it is juldarigi that often highlights a school sports day. I still remember the tension I felt just before starting to pull. The moments of joy and disappointment were also unforgettable. However, this isn't just a school sport. In 2015, juldarigi was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list under the heading of Tugging Rituals and Games. As we researched this cultural heritage, we learned a lot of new and interesting facts.

Jinho: Nobody knows exactly when the juldarigi tradition started in Korea, but our ancestors must have performed it for hundreds of years. The first historical record appeared in Donggungnyeojiseungnam (1481). The book says that it was widely popular in the middle and southern parts of Korea where rice farming was common. Juldarigi was regarded not just as a sport but also as a ritual. In the juldarigi ritual, a series of actions were usually performed in the same way: making the ropes, holding ceremonies, tugging the ropes, and staging special events after the game. Juldarigi might have been a perfect way to help people cooperate and promote the harmony and unity of the community. In Korea, many towns have cherished this tradition, and some towns, such as Gijisi, Yeongsan, Samcheok, Gamnae, and Uiryeong, have developed it into exciting festivals.

Sumi: Look at this slide. What do the ropes look like? Juldarigi ropes vary in shape and design from region to region. The rope used in Yeongsan and Gijisi juldarigi, with smaller ones attached to it, looks like a giant centipede. The rope used in Gamnae juldarigi is made to look like a crab in order to express the participants' wish to catch more crabs. After the game is over, people in some areas cut the rope into smaller pieces and bring them home. They throw the pieces onto the roof or hang them on the gate of their home. Some people believe that these ropes can bring a good harvest, health, and peace to their families. Interestingly, Gijisi juldarigi ropes are believed to help couples have a child, cure backaches, and bring good luck to the families that own them.

Dongho: Last April, I took part in the Gijisi Juldarigi Festival, held in Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do. At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. The size of the rope was unbelievable. It was about 200 meters long and one meter thick, weighing over 40 tons. Thousands of people gathered and pulled the "centipede" rope to win. Even though both teams tried their best, it was my team that won. Actually, which team wins is not that important. By tradition, participants are divided into two teams by township: one team from susang, the northern area, and the other from suha, the southern area. They say that the country will be peaceful if the former team wins, and that it will have a good harvest if the latter wins. I was happy because I learned that I helped bring a good harvest! It was wonderful to experience traditional Korean culture in the spirit of cooperation. Most of all, it was fun. Minji: Now, what does juldarigi mean to you? While preparing our presentation, we learned that juldarigi isn't unique to Korea or other Asian countries. However, Korean juldarigi rituals reflect our history and culture and have contributed to the harmony and unity of communities. What is important is for us to inherit and further develop our traditional juldarigi for future generations.

You may think that tug of war is just a playground event for children or an exercise for adults that helps build a team spirit. In fact, it was a team sport in the Olympics from 1900 to 1920. Interestingly, a country could send more than one team to the Olympics, so it could earn multiple medals in the event. For example, the United States won all three medals in 1904 when the Olympic Games were held in St Louis. Great Britain won all the medals in the 1908 London Olympics. Tug of war is not an Olympic event anymore. However, there is an international organization that is dedicated to the promotion of tug of war. It holds world championships every year and tries hard to get tug of war included again in the Olympics. The organization hopes that tug of war will regain its old glory. Will we soon be able to cheer for our national tug of war team to win a gold medal in the Olympics?