The World Taekwondo Federation held a ceremony to disband the 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps at the headquarters of the GCS International in Seoul, Korea, on Sept. 6, 2008.

The disbanding ceremony drew 27 members of the 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps, who were dispatched to seven regions in five countries for about one month during the past summer season.

Also present at the event were WTF President Chungwon Choue; Mr. Dai-soon Lee, a vice president of the WTF and chairman of the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation; and Paraguayan Amb. to Korea Ceferino Adrina Valdez Peralta.

The Taekwondo Peace Corps is promoted by the WTF and organized by GCS International, a U.N.-recognized non-governmental organization with a special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council. GSC stands for goodwill, cooperation and service. WTF President Choue heads GCS International.

A four-member team was first dispatched to Qingdao, China, on July 15 and returned home on Aug. 11. followed by a Moscow, Russia team from July 16-Aug. 15, and an Islamabad, Pakistan team from July 22 to Aug. 19. A four-member team was also sent to Asuncion, Paraguay on July 22 and returned home on Aug. 19, followed by a Goa, India team from Aug. 1 to Aug. 16, a Mumbai, India team from Aug. 1 to Aug. 16, and a Wulumuqi, China team from Aug. 5 to Aug. 25.

The 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps members taught local students taekwondo sparring and poomsae techniques and taekwondo spirit, along with Korean culture, drawing a great attention of local media.

In his congratulatory speech, Dr. Choue expressed his appreciation to the members of the 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps for their successful activities abroad.

“Starting with this winter season, we plan to expand the number of countries and Taekwondo Peace Corps members to be dispatched abroad, along with the dispatch period from one month to two months,” Dr. Choue said.

Shortly after taking the helm of the WTF in June 2004, WTF President Choue promised to launch the Taekwondo Peace Corps, thus helping enhance the image of taekwondo and the WTF. The Taekwondo Peace Corps project was first raised by Dr. Choue at in international workshop on sports and peace in Leuven, Belgium on Sept. 21, 2007 and then at an international forum on peace and sport in Monte Carlo, Monaco on Dec. 6, 2007.

If the Taekwondo Peace Corps project proves successful, then the WTF plans to expand the program to involve all Olympic sports into a “Sport Peace Corps,” in cooperation with the United Nations and the IOC.

The WTF plans to receive applications for the 2008 Winter Taekwondo Peace Corps from mid-September before sending them abroad from late December this year.

In his congratulatory remarks, Paraguayan Amb. to Korea Ceferino Adrina Valdez Peralta expressed his appreciation to WTF President Choue for the WTF Taewkondo Peace Corps program.

“The Taekwondo Peace Corps program gave much hope and dream to our children in Paraguay, and we want a continued Taekwondo Peace Corps program in my country,” the Paraguayan envoy said.

At the disbanding ceremony, the envoy presented a plaque of appreciation to WTF President Choue.

On July 11, the Paraguayan ambassador invited a four-member team of the Taekwondo Peace Corps to his residence, showing his great interest in the program. His two daughters practice taekwondo.

Mr. Dai-soon Lee, a WTF vice president, said in his congratulatory remarks, “The WTF’s Taekwondo Peace Corps program will give a clear message to the world that taekwondo can greatly contribute to the promotion of global peace,”