Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
World Taekwondo president reelected to 6th term
World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won poses during the federation's general assembly in Wuxi, China, Thursday. Courtesy of World Taekwondo
By Lee Hae-rin
World Taekwondo (WT) President Choue Chung-won has secured a sixth and final term, extending his 21-year tenure at the helm of the global taekwondo body by another four years, the organization announced Thursday.
Delegates reelected Choue, 77, during the federation’s general assembly held at the Worldhotel Grand Juna in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China. The vote combined on-site and online participation from WT council members and national associations. Choue received 143 votes in favor, with five against and one abstention.
Choue, the only Korean currently heading an international sports organization in the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), will serve until the 2029 World Taekwondo Championships.
He first assumed the presidency in 2004, after the death of founding president Kim Un-yong, and won reelection in 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2021. During his tenure, taekwondo has solidified its position as a core Olympic sport and strengthened transparency through reforms to scoring and competition rules.
Choue is also credited with expanding taekwondo’s global reach through humanitarian efforts, including establishing the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation to support refugees and advocating for the sport’s inclusion in the Paralympic Games.
In the same election in Wuxi, Yang Jin-bang, president of the Korea Taekwondo Association, was voted one of three WT vice presidents, receiving the highest vote count of 98 among six candidates. European Taekwondo Union President Athanasios Pragalos of Greece and Moroccan Taekwondo Association President Driss El Hilali were also elected with 96 and 81 votes, respectively.