Chuncheon Breaks Ground on World Taekwondo Headquarters, Poised to Become an International Taekwondo Hub

【Financial News Chuncheon=Kim Ki-seop】The World Taekwondo (WT) headquarters will be established in Chuncheon. The city is set to move beyond hosting international competitions and become a permanent hub where global taekwondo policy, diplomacy and education converge.
According to Chuncheon on the 15th, a groundbreaking ceremony for the World Taekwondo (WT) headquarters was held that day in the area around Chuncheon Songam Sports Town. The 3,400-square-meter headquarters will feature international administrative offices, a multipurpose gymnasium, and taekwondo exhibition and experience facilities, making it a landmark space for global taekwondo.
The groundbreaking marks more than the construction of a single international organization’s building. It is the starting point for expanding Chuncheon’s relationship with global taekwondo—built over more than two decades since the country’s first international open taekwondo competition in 2000—into a permanent exchange system. Chuncheon expects the WT headquarters to anchor an ongoing network linking international sports diplomacy, education and training, international competitions, culture, tourism and industry.
The goal is to create a structure in which Chuncheon is no longer merely a city that athletes visit temporarily for competitions. Instead, taekwondo officials from around the world will visit regularly, with exchanges, education, meetings and hands-on experiences connected to the region’s tourism, MICE and sports industries.
A forum on global taekwondo policy was also held alongside the groundbreaking ceremony. An interim meeting of the WT Executive Committee took place in Chuncheon that day, attended by about 40 leaders, including International Olympic Committee (IOC) members and WT executive committee members.

The world’s most prestigious poomsae competition will also begin in Chuncheon in conjunction with the groundbreaking. The 2026 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Chuncheon will be held from the 16th to the 20th at the air dome in Chuncheon Songam Sports Town. As a G8-level event offering the highest ranking points in poomsae, it will bring together 2,269 national-team-level athletes from 85 countries to compete for titles in 42 categories, including 34 recognized poomsae and eight freestyle poomsae events.
The competition will also unfold as a festival for residents and visitors. The 4-kilometer Chuncheon Peace Walk will be held on the 17th, while paddleboarding and canoeing programs will take place on Uiam Lake from the 19th to the 20th. The event is expected to generate an economic impact of approximately 8.4 billion won.
Chuncheon Mayor Yuk Dong-han said, "Starting with the country’s first international open taekwondo competition in 2000, Chuncheon has built trust with global taekwondo by hosting international competitions for more than 20 years. Now, with the WT headquarters coming to the city, Chuncheon will rise beyond being a host city for competitions and become a central city where global taekwondo policy, diplomacy, education and exchanges continue year-round."
He added, "Using the headquarters as a focal point, we will build a network connecting international sports diplomacy, education and training, culture and tourism, and industry. We will make this a competition that the world will remember for a long time—one where top athletes from around the globe can perform at their best and residents and visitors alike can enjoy it safely."
Choue Chung-won, president of WT, said, "We hope Chuncheon, which has successfully hosted various international taekwondo competitions, will develop further into a global center of taekwondo through the groundbreaking of the WT headquarters."



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