video transcript

The pressure is on for the South Korean taekwondo team. As the London Olympic games draw closer, the players know there is a lot on the line for them. (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) GENERAL MANAGER OF TAEKWONDO TEAM KIM SEI-HYEOK SAYING: "Taekwondo is our national sport, it originated in Korea, so we are under pressure to get many gold medals. It's natural for us to win gold medals, we'll be treated as traitors if we don't, that's what our media says." After a disappointing Athens Games, where they won two gold medals, the team returned to Beijing to win golds in all of the four categories they were allowed to participate in. Each country is only allowed to send representatives for maximum four out of the eight categories in taekwondo. The team is training everyday to keep in shape and is focusing on their strengths. (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) TAEKWONDO PLAYER HWANG KYUNG-SEON SAYING: "I have better footwork than my rival competitors, so I have focused on practicing those skills a lot." (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) TAEKWONDO PLAYER CHA DONG-MIN SAYING: "To beat those tall players, I practiced my timing (of attacking) by moving a lot. My aim is to return with a gold medal round my neck, as is our people's wish." Taekwondo, loosely translated as "way of the fist and foot", enjoyed a surge in popularity after it was exhibited as a demonstration sport at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. The 2012 London Olympics taekwondo competition will be held at the ExCeL arena in London from August 8 to 11. Sophia Soo, Reuters.