▲ (Left) Sun-cheon Jeong, Vice-chairman of ITF Public Information Committe, and (Right) Chul-kyu Kim, Director of ITF. [Source from= Sun-cheon JEONG]

[Seok-mu Mason KWON] The opening of the inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges through Taekwondo has opened. In the future, some predict that joint registration of Taekwondo in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage(ICH) of Humanity between the South and the North will accelerate and be listed early. ​

The North Korea Taekwondo Organization, called the Chosun Taekwondo Committee(Chairman Myong-gun KIM), attended the 22nd ITF Taekwon-do World Championships of the International Taekwondo Federation(President Yong-son RI, ITF), which has been held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from the 15th to the 30th August. ​ Sun-cheon JEONG, a member of the ITF Public Information Committee and Vice-head of the Kukkiwon Taekwondo UNESCO ICH Registration Promotion Team, also attended this championships.

Sun-cheon JEONG, who met with ITF President Yong-sun Ri and Chairman Myong-gun KIM of the Chosun Taekwondo Committee, said he was appointed as Vice-chairman of the ITF Public Information Committee and promoted to the ITF Taekwon-do 8th Dan. ​ It is expected that Sun-cheon JEONG's visit to the 22nd ITF World Championships will provide an opportunity for inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges through Taekwondo to resume in earnest. In particular, the joint registration of Taekwondo in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage(ICH) of Humanity between the South and the North of Korea has been led by the Kukkiwon for about three years since 2021, so visible progress is expected.

It is expected that Taekwondo, as an cultural heritage, will serve as a medium in anticipation of a new phase shift and easing tensions amid inter-Korean relations that have been strained until recently due to COVID-19 over the past four years.