Choi Won-suk is a photojournalist at The Korea Times. Before joining the newspaper, he also worked as a photojournalist with AFP and St. Joseph News-Press in Missouri. He spent 13 years in the United States, graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism degree (Cum Laude) from the University of Missouri - Columbia and a Master of Arts in Photography from Ohio University - Athens. Over the past 11 years, Choi covered various news events such as presidential elections, the 2019 North Korea-United States Hanoi Summit and 2022 Qatar World Cup. But above all, Choi believes in local journalism and finds a lot of joy telling life stories of ordinary citizens in small neighborhoods.
Refugee taekwondo athletes receive words of encouragement
World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won meets refugee athletes on the second day of the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships at Martial Arts Sports Complex in Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Monday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Choi Won-suk
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — The athletes arrived from refugee camps in Jordan, hoping to test their skills against the world’s best young taekwondo competitors. At the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, four athletes representing the World Taekwondo Refugee Team found themselves at the center of quiet attention — a reminder of how sports continue to reach across boundaries.
World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won met with the athletes — Essa Mousa Alkhalaf (men’s under-55 kilograms), Mahmoud Qasim Abukhshet (men’s under-51 kilograms), Kafa Al Mubarak (women’s under-55 kilograms) and Aya Morad Alahmad (women’s under-68 kilograms) — and their coach, Ahmad Faisal Okaidat.
The Taekwondo Refugee Team is introduced during the opening ceremony of the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships at the Martial Arts Sports Complex in Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Choue commended their progress and encouraged them to stay focused on their goals, emphasizing that discipline and persistence are what ultimately lead to success. He referred to Yahya Al Ghotani, a refugee athlete from the Azraq camp in Jordan who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, as an example of how dedication can turn opportunity into achievement.
World Taekwondo Council Member and Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Operations Director Maher Magableh, along with World Taekwondo Secretary General Seo Jeong-kang, also attended the meeting, reflecting the organization’s ongoing support for refugee athletes through the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation initiative.
The Taekwondo Refugee Team's coach Lisa Vogt, right, encourages Nasim Mahmoudi in the women’s -46 kilogram round of 64 match on the first day of Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships at Martial Arts Sports Complex in Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
For the young team, competing in Tashkent is part of a wider journey — one that merges training with hope. Their presence at the championships symbolizes World Taekwondo’s continuing commitment to inclusion and to expanding access to sport for displaced communities around the world.
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