ED Joint registration of taekwondo in order

South Korea, which globally popularized the martial art form of taekwondo, is waking up to find North Korea has already moved to register the sport on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

A technical advisory body is soon expected to recommend registration of "Taekwon-Do, traditional martial art in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" for North Korea's solo application, submitted in March 2024. The final decision will be made in Xiamen, China, at the meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, scheduled for Nov. 30 to Dec. 5. If finalized, Seoul may be left scrambling to register taekwondo on its own.

It does not have to be that way. The martial art has shared roots that predate the division of the two Koreas. There is already a precedent for joint registration, with both North and South Korea successfully collaborating on the 2018 registration of "ssireum" — a traditional Korean form of wrestling — on the UNESCO list. With only about one month remaining before the meeting in Xiamen, South Korea should revive the dormant spirit of sports diplomacy and draw on the same energy that uplifted taekwondo globally through the establishment of "dojang" drill halls, as well as its adoption as an Olympic sport.

It is regrettable that South Korea, a country so closely associated with taekwondo, has been left scrambling to secure its own UNESCO listing, having submitted its application only this year. Inscription on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List does not give any country exclusive ownership of a cultural tradition. However, strained relations between the two Koreas have made a joint application more difficult. Regardless of the political climate, genuine efforts to preserve and uphold traditional culture must continue.

Although South and North Korea both can claim taekwondo — the origins of which predate the division of the peninsula following the 1950-53 Korean War — the martial art has evolved along distinct paths in each country. The differences are reflected in two separate governing bodies: South Korea's World Taekwondo (WT) and the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), which is associated with North Korea. South Korea helped popularize taekwondo internationally through WT's dojang system, which emphasizes Olympic-style competition and protective equipment. The ITF, meanwhile, places greater emphasis on traditional martial arts training, including direct contact.

These groups have not always been at odds. In 2018, under the President Moon Jae-in administration, the leaders of both Koreas showed a spirit of cooperation, agreeing to work for the growth and integration of taekwondo in a meeting at Yanggakdo International Hotel in Pyongyang. The discussions at the time included the possibility of working for joint registration for UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Deteriorating inter-Korean relations, compounded by North Korea’s constitutional amendment to define South Korea as a hostile state, have made cooperation increasingly difficult. Still, the legacy of assertive, state-led sports diplomacy has also been lacking. South Korea should consider whether it has grown too accustomed to the global success of its popular culture, taking its international influence for granted while overlooking the need to actively promote and preserve its traditional cultural heritage.

The spirit of sports diplomacy that enabled South Korea to play a pivotal role in taekwondo's adoption as an Olympic event should not go to waste. Since North Korea joined Russia's war against Ukraine and began reaping economic benefits from the alliance, Pyongyang has become unresponsive to Seoul's overtures. Nevertheless, South Korea must draw on the legacy of its successful sports diplomacy and make every effort to define, promote and preserve its traditional cultural identity.

UNESCO should take the circumstances surrounding the two Koreas and their shared martial arts heritage into account before recommending a separate inscription for North Korea. It should allow time for the two sides to pursue the possibility of a joint inscription.

The times and the political context may be different than when the two Koreas worked together to obtain ssireum's Intangible Cultural Heritage inscription. In spirit, taekwondo remains the heritage of the people of both Koreas. UNESCO, as an organization committed to international cooperation in education, the sciences and culture, can provide an opportunity for the two Koreas to consult on the joint registration of taekwondo.