North Korea’s pursuit of UNESCO status for taekwondo revives rivalry with South



News North Korea’s pursuit of UNESCO status for taekwondo revives rivalry with South Task force accuses Seoul of inaction on own bid amid fears ROK will lose cultural claim to its national sport Jooheon Kim June 19, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A North Korean boy wearing an International Taekwon-Do Federation jacket in Pyongyang \| Image: Eric Lafforgue (Sept. 2012) North Korea’s application to register taekwondo with UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of the communist state has reignited a long-running rivalry between the two Koreas over their claims to the martial art, putting pressure on Seoul to take action. According to the Korea Taekwondo UNESCO Promotion Task Force, Pyongyang formally submitted an application to UNESCO in March 2024, with the U.N. agency expected to make a final decision by 2026. North Korea’s application to register taekwondo with UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of the communist state has reignited a long-running rivalry between the two Koreas over their claims to the martial art, putting pressure on Seoul to take action. According to the Korea Taekwondo UNESCO Promotion Task Force, Pyongyang formally submitted an application to UNESCO in March 2024, with the U.N. agency expected to make a final decision by 2026. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

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North Korea’s pursuit of UNESCO status for taekwondo revives rivalry with South

Task force accuses Seoul of inaction on own bid amid fears ROK will lose cultural claim to its national sport

Jooheon Kim June 19, 2025

North Korea’s pursuit of UNESCO status for taekwondo revives rivalry with South

A North Korean boy wearing an International Taekwon-Do Federation jacket in Pyongyang | Image: Eric Lafforgue (Sept. 2012)

North Korea’s application to register taekwondo with UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of the communist state has reignited a long-running rivalry between the two Koreas over their claims to the martial art, putting pressure on Seoul to take action.

According to the Korea Taekwondo UNESCO Promotion Task Force, Pyongyang formally submitted an application to UNESCO in March 2024, with the U.N. agency expected to make a final decision by 2026.

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North Korea’s pursuit of UNESCO status for taekwondo revives rivalry with South

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