The late Song Chang-ryeol, Master of Northern-style Ssireum, Inducted into the International Traditional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Global Contribution Report Published

Pro wrestling legend Rikidozan and Pakistani traditional wrestling hero Gama Pehelwan listed side by side Official release of the ‘Global Recognition Report’ documenting the historical lineage and global transmission process of Northern-style Ssireum With the late Master Song Chang-ryeol—a great inheritor of Northern-style Ssireum and a master of Korean traditional martial arts—becoming the first person inducted into the International Traditional Wrestling Hall of Fame, a ‘Global Recognition Report’ commemorating this achievement has been officially published. The newly published report sheds light on the historical footprints of traditional wrestling worldwide and details the preservation of the original form of Northern-style Ssireum and its globalization process left behind by the late Master Song Chang-ryeol. Notably, the late Master Song Chang-ryeol was recognized as a giant of the global martial arts community, having been inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside the legendary pro-wrestling hero Rikidozan and the legendary Pakistani wrestler Gama Pehelwan. Born in Bukcheong, South Hamgyong Province, the late Master Song Chang-ryeol is a symbolic figure who fully preserved the original form of Northern-style Ssireum, which was in danger of being severed following the liberation of Korea. Northern-style ssireum forms a crucial pillar of the ssireum jointly inscribed by South and North Korea as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and the publication of this report has allowed its historical uniqueness and value in the history of world martial arts to be reported more systematically to the academic community and the global stage.