WT and ITF sign an agreement to create a joint body

[DWx]

http://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=258047

Next Friday will be what would have been General Choi Hong Hi's 100th birthday. In celebration there are to be a number of events in Pyongyang with people from around the world in attendance

The WT have sent a delegation, including their demonstration team, to participate.

Talks have been ongoing between WT and ITF for a few years now in an effort to foster greater collaboration both groups have agreed to work together to promote the style under a new joint body:

World Taekwondo (WT), under the leadership of South Korean Choue Chung-won, and the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), led by North Korean Ri Yong-son, agreed on Friday to set up a joint body next month to narrow their differences in governing the sport.

Next year will also be 25 years since TKD was included in the Olympics and they want to demonstrate both sports together.

[sensei8]

That's good news...providing that the two Governing Bodies can reach an equivocal agreement for the betterment of the students and not for just themselves. I'd love to be that fly on the wall during this historical event. History shows that these type of meetings can go south in a blink of an eye due to ego; everyone wants to be the authority...I've seen it, as well as have read, that that very thing occurs.

I sincerely hope that these talks end up successfully for all concerned.

[bushido_man96]

This is interesting, and sounds promising. They've laid out some goals in their agreement, so it doesn't just look like a bunch of platitudes. There's still a lot of ground for them to cover, but this look like a good first step.