RJRKihap Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 I was reading the most recent issue of Taekwondo Times and there were several articles about the WTF ranging from arrest warrants for Dr. Unyong Kim and his son, to the possible removal of Taekwondo from the Olympics all the way to organized crime influencing the WTF. This all on the heals of the USTU and the Olympic Committee ordeal. Does anybody know what is going on? There are a lot of good people in the WTF and USTU, so please do not slam the practitioners in spite of the organization. I would like to know the correct story from those in the know. Thank You Ron World Musado FederationBong Soo Han IHF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karatekid1975 Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 Me too. My school is USTU affiliated. I was confused when I read about it, so I too need info. Laurie F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommarker Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 No offense intended, but the odds of getting the "real story" in something this politically charged are slim to none. Regardless of who is guilty or not, it's the students who will suffer the most. I'm no longer posting here. Adios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krunchyfrogg Posted February 16, 2004 Share Posted February 16, 2004 WTF?!? just kidding. I actually don't know what 'WTF' stands for (in TKD terms). "A life is not important, except in the impact it has on other lives."-- Jackie Robinson"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."-- Edmund Burke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
equaninimus Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 The problem with the WTF seems to stem from its connection to the crooked world of Korean politics. There have always been Starkadders at Cold Comfort Farm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganTKD Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 Ironically, our Instructor was telling us about all this last year at least. I was just waiting to see when it would break into the mainstream media. Apparently was is happening is this: Dr. Kim, being President of the World Taekwondo Federation for 30 years, has had access to VERY large sums of money over the years as member nations send in their dues. As a result, he has pocketed millions of dollars of WTF money and used his position as WTF head to exercise undue influence in the IOC decision making process. Along the way, I believe he has used that money to financially assist his son. He has finally admitted guilt, and stepped down as President of the WTF and the Kukkiwon. He will likely be arrested and jailed on corruption charges. This is the reason why we change Presidents in this country every so often-to prevent this kind of entrenched corruption. Furthermore, the USTU was reprimanded by the USOC for large-scale financial mismanagement. Several of their top officers have resigned, including Sang Chul Lee and others. There was action taken to strip the USTU of its NGB (national governing body) status, meaning it would no longer represent the WTF in America and be forbidden from qualifying Olympic athletes. What will happen I don't know. I do suspect that Tae Kwon Do will probably lose its Olympic affiliation for a couple of reasons. 1. Bad publicity. It is awfully hard to justify Olympic participation of a sport when its top body is accused of this kind of mismanagement 2. When the top leadership is fractured like this, who make the decisions necessary to keep things stable? 3. Sport Tae Kwon Do in this country, let's face it, is not a big ratings getter. Not many Americans care about who the TKD medallists are, especially since they tend to be Korean anyway. My opinion-Welcome to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bretty101 Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 That is taekwondo in a nutshell!! Politics! Who needs it? Some guy (He claimed to be one of only 5 international WTF referees?!) was looking to argue with me last week that ITF taekwondo was over political and not gonna last long. I wasn't gonna rise to it and told quite honestly i really was not interested. Money leads to politics Politics leads to the dark side! Bretty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 WTF?!? just kidding. I actually don't know what 'WTF' stands for (in TKD terms). In TaeKwonDospeak, WTF = World Taekwondo Federation There is also the ITF = International Taekwondo Federation Each federation has its own background and governing policies. Just from what I've seen firsthand, there's a pretty serious rivalry between the two. If you cruise this forum, you can find a lot more detailed information on those federations, as well as others, if you like. 1st dan & Asst. Instructor TKD 2000-2003No matter the tune...if you can rock it, rock it hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJRKihap Posted February 17, 2004 Author Share Posted February 17, 2004 It seems that if you add politics to anything you end up with nothing. I really hope that the WTF (or more importantly the individual members and schools) can continue to exist. Ron World Musado FederationBong Soo Han IHF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RF_Brown Posted February 17, 2004 Share Posted February 17, 2004 (edited) In TaeKwonDospeak, WTF = World Taekwondo Federation There is also the ITF = International Taekwondo Federation Each federation has its own background and governing policies. Just from what I've seen firsthand, there's a pretty serious rivalry between the two. Not to get too off topic, but what is even more confusing, there are now three (four?) different groups that have, since Gen. Choi's death, claim to be the one true ITF. I skimmed an article in last months TKD Times that gave a little background information on each of these groups with an interview of their President(s). Even though I am no longer associated with the ITF(s), and I really do not have a horse in that race, I do think the General's son probably has the best claim to being the true inheritor of his father's organization. Edited February 18, 2004 by RF_Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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