Kukkiwon Taekwondo Research Institute to Hold the 2026 Kukkiwon International Conference

The conference will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, July 31, at the Korea Science and Technology Center, with 147 Taekwondo leaders from 22 countries expected to attend

The Kukkiwon Taekwondo Research Institute is hosting an international academic event, the 2026 Kukkiwon International Conference (hereafter referred to as the Conference).

Scheduled for Friday, July 31st, at 2 PM at the Korea Science and Technology Center, the conference will be attended by 147 Taekwondo leaders from 22 countries around the world.

Organized in conjunction with the 2026 World Taekwondo Hanmadang, this conference was designed to revitalize academic exchange in Taekwondo and to build a global network.

Furthermore, expectations are high as domestic and international Taekwondo experts, researchers, leaders, and related personnel gather in one place to envision the future of Taekwondo and collaboratively explore new directions for growth.

In particular, it holds added significance as the very first international conference held by the Kukkiwon Taekwondo Research Institute.

The main theme of the conference is “TAEKWONDO IN A NEW ERA: EXPANDING HUMAN POTENTIAL (TAEKWONDO IN A NEW ERA: EXPANDING HUMAN POTENTIAL).”

The program consists of keynote speeches and presentations by specialized fields (academic and performance).

The keynote lectures will be delivered by Professor Ko Yong-jae of the University of Florida in the United States and Choi Joshua, President of the AAU Taekwondo Association in the United States, who are leading international trends in Taekwondo.

Professor Ko Yong-jae, an expert in sports management, will open the lectures under the theme of Social Media Fans of Olympic Taekwondo, followed by President Choi Joshua, who will present the future development directions of Taekwondo alongside vivid local case studies on The Evolution of American Taekwondo.

Following the keynote lectures, presentations in the academic sector will focus on the social role and scalability of Taekwondo.

The academic section will present diverse research findings integrating major societal topics with Taekwondo, including: Para Taekwondo (Professor David O’Sullivan, Seoul National University), Character and Life Skills (Professor Bae Jun-su, Yong In University), Aging and Taekwondo (Professor Jeong Hyeon-cheol, Kyung Hee University), and Taekwondo Fitness (Professor Kim Yeong-ho, Semyung University).

Additionally, presentations in the performance sector, which share Taekwondo instructional techniques on-site, are also drawing much anticipation.

The performance section consists of Poomsae (Professor Kang Ik-pil, World Taekwondo Academy at Kukkiwon) and Kicking Techniques (Professor Kang Yu-jin of Hwaseong Medical University, Professor Choi Yeon-ho of Chosun University, and Won Jong-chan, Taekwondo master and influencer), showcasing realistic demonstrations and practical coaching methods.

Lim Tae-hee, Director of the Taekwondo Research Institute of Kukkiwon, stated, “As this is the first conference held since the opening of the Kukkiwon Taekwondo Research Institute, I hope it will be a meaningful occasion where Taekwondo leaders and researchers put their heads together to paint the future of Taekwondo.”