Why is South Korea upset about North Korea's UNESCO bid for taekwondo?

A Seoul official revealed that North Korea first proposed a joint UNESCO heritage bid for taekwondo, which South Korea did not take up. North Korea then filed alone, and its bid reaches final approval next month, which many South Koreans fear cedes historical leadership of the martial art. Both countries have a fair claim, since taekwondo began in the 1940s before the Korean War, but the two styles are now distinct.

• South Korea already has other UNESCO bids in the queue that may have taken priority, which angered martial arts fans.
• The two Koreas won the first joint UNESCO listing in 2018 for ssireum, traditional Korean wrestling.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Global News Podcast (2026-11-05). Read the whole episode summary →

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