Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters, has begun the process of electing a new President of Kukkiwon. Kukkiwon is the organization responsible for the martial arts aspects of Taekwondo: Global Education, developing and implementing standards for Black Belt Certifications, conducting World Hanmadang Festivals, and with promoting and maintaining the time-honored martial arts traditions of Taekwondo.

Kukkiwon Election Procedures

Step 1 of the election procedures begins with the current Kukkiwon President vacating the office three months prior to the election date. An Interim President is selected by the Kukkiwon Board of Directors to manage the affairs of the organization through that 3-month period.

Step 2 of the process allows for those who are considering becoming candidates to campaign and to seek support for a possible candidacy. The Kukkiwon Board of Directors are tasked with setting the date for the elections. The recently announced election date is October 6, 2022. Now that the election date is announced, candidates must show their serious intent to be a candidate by formally filing with the Board of Directors, to include a $50,000 USD filing fee. The filing fee is refunded to candidates that receive at least 20% of the votes cast in that election. Those candidates receiving less than 20% must forfeit the $50,000 USD filing fee.

Step 3 of the election process allows candidates that have met the filing requirements the two weeks prior to the election date to lobby voting members with their campaign promises and plans. Officially filed candidates can begin lobbying the voting members on September 22, 2022.

There are 13000 total voting members worldwide that are eligible to vote in the elections. Their eligibility is determined by having the status of current Kukkiwon Member Schools (KMS), having submitted Kukkiwon Dan Applications over the past two consecutive years. The Kukkiwon Election Committee will randomly select 10% of the eligible voters to participate in the election. That means that, of the 1300 eligible voting members, 1000 reside in Korea, and 300 eligible voters reside outside of Korea. 150 voters reside in the USA, and the remaining 150 voters are dispersed around the globe.

The Presidential Elections will take place on October 6, 2022. The next issue of Taekwondo Today will have ongoing news regarding the Kukkiwon Presidential Elections