Posted at 6:31 a.m., Friday, April 6, 2007
Talks begin to unify taekwondo governing bodies
Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea's sole International Olympic Committee member arrived Friday in South Korea to discuss unifying the competing international governing bodies of the Korean martial art taekwondo.Taekwondo officials from the two Koreas have been in talks to merge the Seoul-based World Taekwondo Federation, which is recognized by the IOC, with the North Korea-backed, Vienna-based International Taekwondo Federation, which is not.
The two sides agreed in December to ''draw a roadmap for unification,'' although each organization claims to be the rightful representative for the sport.
In January, the ITF launched an affiliate association in South Korea.
Chang Ung, North Korea's only IOC member who also heads the ITF, arrived in Seoul along with a North Korean taekwondo demonstration team that will perform twice during their four-day stay.
Chang is scheduled to meet WTF head Choue Chung-won on Sunday, said Choi Man-shik, deputy secretary general of the WTF.
The two Koreas held four rounds of preliminary, working-level talks on unifying the two taekwondo bodies since 2005, and held their first main talks late last month in Beijing, but little progress was reported.
