South Korea will propose the joint inscription of taekwondo alongside North Korea as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, signaling a change in Seoul’s approach to pursuing global recognition for the Korean martial art.

The Korea Heritage Service said in its work plan released Wednesday that it will submit an application to UNESCO in March for the joint taekwondo inscription.

North Korea applied to register taekwondo as an intangible cultural heritage with UNESCO in 2024, a move that led the ROK-based Korea Taekwondo UNESCO Promotion Task Force to raise concern that the country risked losing its cultural claim to its